Notice to lovers of small naps, it would no longer be worth feeling guilty. Getting a few minutes of sleep during the day could help protect brain health, according to a study published in the journal Sleep Health and reported by the British newspaper The Guardian.
However, not all studies agree on the benefits of napping: some suggest that sleeping too long in the middle of the day could be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. Others believe, to the contrary, that napping could improve learning ability.
Researchers in the study broadcast Tuesday say they have found elements that suggest napping may help combat cerebral atrophy, a shrinking of the brain, a process that comes with age.
“We found a link between regular daytime naps and increased total brain volume,” say the scientists.
“This could suggest that regular naps offer some protection against neurodegeneration by compensating for lack of sleep,” they continue.
2.6 to 6.5 years less aging
The research team drew on data from the UK Biobank, which collects information on the genetics, lifestyle and health of 500,000 people aged 40-69 at the time of recruitment.
The scientists used data from 35,080 participants to test whether a combination of genetic variants already associated with habitual naps were also linked to brain volume and other aspects of brain health.
Result: The researchers found a relationship between a genetic predisposition to regular naps in the middle of the day and a brain volume that would experience 2.6 to 6.5 fewer years of aging.
“It could be that a short nap during the day helps to preserve brain volume, which is potentially positive for the prevention of dementia,” said Professor Victoria Garfield, from University College London and co-author of the study.
Results to take with some precautions
According to her, previous studies suggest that a nap of up to 30 minutes could be beneficial for our body.
However, Victoria Garfield points out that there are many other factors that affect brain volume. The Guardian He adds that the exact duration of naps associated with the benefits is unclear from the study.
Questioned by the British media, Professor Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute, welcomes these results but wishes to be cautious in emphasizing that habits nap times reported by participants in the UK Biobank were perhaps not specific enough.
“This study is important because it complements the data indicating that sleep is important for brain health,” he concluded, however.
Source: BFM TV
