Benefits and risks of napping in older adults: A systematic review.

Front Aging Neurosci

Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Neurosciences, Physiology and Psychology Physical Activity, Health and Learning (LINP2), UFR STAPS (Faculty of Sport Sciences), UPL, Paris Nanterre University, Nanterre, France.

Published: October 2022


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

Unlabelled: A growing body of evidence indicates that napping is common among older adults. However, a systematic review on the effect of napping on the elderly is lacking. The aim of this systematic review was to (i) determine how studies evaluated napping behavior in older adults (frequency, duration and timing); (ii) explore how napping impacts perceptual measures, cognitive and psychomotor performance, night-time sleep and physiological parameters in the elderly (PROSPERO CRD42022299805). A total of 738 records were screened by two researchers using the PICOS criteria. Fifteen studies met our inclusion criteria with a mean age ranging from 60.8 to 78.3 years and a cumulative sample size of = 326. Daytime napping had an overall positive impact on subjective measures (i.e., sleepiness and fatigue), psychomotor performances (i.e., speed and accuracy) and learning abilities (i.e., declarative and motor learning). Additionally, studies showed (i) consistency between nap and control conditions regarding sleep duration, efficiency and latency, and proportion of sleep stages, and (ii) increase of 24 h sleep duration with nap compared to control condition. Based on the findings of the present review, there is minimal evidence to indicate that napping is detrimental for older adults' nighttime sleep. Future studies should consider involving repeated naps during a micro-cycle in order to investigate the chronic effect of napping on older adults.

Systematic Review Registration: identifier: CRD42022299805.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9634571PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.1000707DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

older adults
12
systematic review
12
napping
8
napping older
8
adults systematic
8
sleep duration
8
older
5
review
5
sleep
5
benefits risks
4

Similar Publications

Recognizing the overlooked: rethinking autism spectrum disorder symptom presentation in girls.

Turk J Pediatr

September 2025

Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more frequently diagnosed in boys than in girls, possibly due to gender-based differences in symptom presentation or referral patterns. This study investigates gender-related variations in symptom severity and clinical presentation among preschool children referred for suspected ASD.

Methods: This study included 125 children (boys: n=103; girls: n=22) aged 2-5 years suspected of having ASD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) may experience epilepsy and challenges with movement, posture, cognition, and musculoskeletal development, which can impact their quality of life (QOL). In this study, we investigated the relationship between demographic and clinical variables as well as QOL in children with spastic CP.

Methods: Children aged 6 to 12 years with CP who were followed-up at our tertiary center were included in this cross-sectional study, regardless of the cause.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Excess mortality and disease burden due to conflict in Gaza: focus on the 0-14 age group.

Turk J Pediatr

September 2025

Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Türkiye.

Background: The ongoing conflict in Gaza continues to take an unbearable toll, with particularly severe impacts on children. Measuring the burden of conflict-related disease in Gaza in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) is important in terms of showing this effect. The aim of this study was to calculate the conflict-related DALY in Gaza among children aged 0-14 years, following the October 7 events and compare these values with global and expected values.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Food addiction has been increasingly recognized as a contributing factor to obesity and eating disorders. Compulsive eating, characterized by an uncontrollable urge to consume food despite adverse consequences, shares behavioral similarities with substance addiction. This study aims to adapt the Brief Measure of Eating Compulsivity (MEC) into Turkish and evaluate its validity and reliability in the adolescent population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) remains a public health conundrum with high morbidity and mortality rates. While early identification of high-risk patients could enable preventive interventions and improve survival, evidence on the effectiveness of current prediction methods remains inconclusive. Limited research exists on patients' prearrest pathophysiological status and predictive and prognostic factors of IHCA, highlighting the need for a comprehensive synthesis of predictive methodologies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF