Why your longevity journey could benefit from a midday nap

March 28, 2025

Warum Mittagsschlaf eine clevere Idee für deine Longevity-Reise sein könnte

March 28, 2025

In a world of biohacking, high-tech wearables and expensive wellness routines, it's easy to overlook the simple things that can really make a difference. An afternoon nap is just such an underrated habit. With no equipment or costs involved, it's just you, your body and a few moments of rest.

New scientific findings now show that this short daytime sleep can have measurable benefits for your brain. And that is particularly exciting for anyone who wants to optimise their longevity and healthspan. Because healthy aging is not just about living a long time, but also about spending as many years in good mental and physical health as possible. This is precisely where an afternoon nap comes in. Quiet, simple and scientifically sound.

Afternoon naps and brain volume: what a study says

A study with almost 380,000 participants from the UK Biobank showed that people who regularly take a nap have a slightly larger brain volume. Specifically, it is around 15.8 cm³ more, which corresponds to about one percent. That may not sound like much at first, but it is remarkable in view of the normal, age-related shrinkage of the brain.

The researchers assume that this difference corresponds to a slower brain aging of about 2.6 to 6.5 years. In other words, your brain will stay young for longer if you regularly take a power nap.

The study method is particularly interesting. It used so-called Mendelian randomisation. This method uses genetic data to analyse whether there is a causal relationship between a habit, in this case an afternoon nap, and a health outcome. This method helps to exclude typical biases that can occur in classic observational studies. It minimises the influence of things like lifestyle, income or initial health status.

Does napping make you smarter too?

While the extra brain volume is an exciting finding, the study showed no immediate improvements in memory or reaction speed. That is to say, while napping preserves the structure of your brain, it does not automatically make you mentally fitter, at least not according to the tests used in this study.

However, this is no reason to underestimate the benefits. Structural brain health is a crucial factor for your long-term mental performance. Even though you may not feel a difference immediately, maintaining brain mass can be a valuable contribution to extending your health span, especially in view of neurodegenerative diseases in old age.

Who benefits from napping?

If you want to stay healthy in the long term and maintain your cognitive performance, a nap can be a useful part of your daily routine. However, it is important to note that the study examined people who are genetically predisposed to taking regular naps. This means that the study did not test whether people without this predisposition would experience the same benefits if they suddenly started taking naps.

The study also did not define the duration or timing of the nap. The current recommendation is to plan a nap of between 10 and 30 minutes in the early afternoon. Sleeping for too long during the day can disrupt your night's sleep and have the opposite effect.

Equally important: the study only looked at brain volume. Other key aspects of longevity, such as inflammation, cell aging or chronic diseases, were not taken into account. This means that a nap is not a substitute for other health-promoting measures, but rather a complementary tool.

Napping as a building block for your longevity strategy
Napping can be a clever part of your longevity routine if you combine it with other proven strategies. On its own, it won't transform your life, but in the right context, it can help you maintain your mental health. Make sure that your power nap doesn't displace other key habits, but complements them.

The cornerstones of your longevity routine:

Adequate night's sleep: restful sleep at night remains the most important factor for the regeneration of the body and brain
Exercise: Daily activity promotes blood flow to the brain and has a long-term effect against cognitive decline
A balanced diet: Foods rich in nutrients and fiber promote physical and mental health.
Mental stimulation: reading, learning or solving tasks keeps your brain flexible and active.
Stress reduction: techniques such as meditation or breathing exercises help to calm your nervous system and have a positive effect on your health span.

If you feel tired in the afternoon, a short nap can be just the thing to restore your energy levels without resorting to caffeine, which is not a good idea for your (night) sleep after 2 p.m. anyway. And if it also protects your brain volume, so much the better.

How to use power naps to maximise your healthspan

A well-planned power nap can bring real benefits: improved memory, more stable moods, clearer decisions and overall better mental performance. But as with many good things, it's all about the right timing and the right dose.

Ideal time: 1 to 4 p.m.
Maximum duration: 90 minutes
Ideal duration: 10-30 minutes

The renowned sleep researcher Dr Matt Walker recommends taking a nap between 1 and 4 p.m. to coincide with the natural drop in performance. During this time, your body is less active anyway, so a short nap can be particularly restful. It is important that your nap does not last longer than 90 minutes. Because as soon as you exceed this limit, your natural sleep rhythm can be disturbed.

A 90-minute nap at the right time can include both non-REM and REM sleep. It is ideal for refreshing your learning ability and better regulating your emotions. But shorter naps of 10 to 30 minutes are also very effective. They improve your attention and help you think more clearly – without the annoying groggy feeling afterwards, also known as sleep inertia.

Important: If you have trouble falling asleep at night or suffer from insomnia in general, it's better not to nap during the day. This is because it reduces your so-called sleep pressure, i.e. your body's natural need for a night's rest.

Your grandma was right

The nice thing about napping is that you can adapt it to your daily routine and needs. Just make sure that it doesn't take place too late in the day and that it corresponds to your personal energy level. Used correctly, napping can be a real tool for improving your cognitive performance and your general energy balance, in line with your longevity and optimal health span.

A nap won't give you a super brain overnight. But it can be a small, effective step in your long-term longevity strategy. Especially if you feel the need for a short break during the day anyway, there is a lot to be said for giving in to this impulse.

While many wellness trends are expensive, complicated or scientifically unfounded, napping is a simple and effective measure: scientifically sound, free and can be implemented at any time. Possibly it is precisely this simplicity that is its greatest advantage.

So: just close your eyes for a moment, for more energy today and a healthier brain tomorrow.