BOSTON (WHDH) - A doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who specializes in sleep disorders has weighed in on a new study that found taking naps can be detrimental to your health.
Dr. Peng Li was one of the lead researchers on the study that found napping frequently or napping for long periods of time can be a sign of early dementia.
However, Li says there isn’t a direct correlation between the disease and napping.
“Some people they may have that habit for quite a long time, you know, since their childhood maybe,” Li said. “Also I think this is a cultural thing.”
The study published Thursday in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association showed that elderly adults who nap at least once a day or more than an hour a day were 40 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
Li says that frequent napping could be a warning sign of other underlying health issues and says if people notice drastic changes in their sleep patterns, they should talk to their doctor.
“If people really notice any adjusted changes in their behavioral patterns including, you know, daytime napping that might be a sign of something happening in their brain so they should really keep eyes on things or maybe they should speak to their primary care doctor for further advice,” Li said.
Doctors say people who are going to nap should do so for only about 15 to 20 minutes a day.
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