Reverse Brain Age by 6.5 Years?!
My father used to call them “power naps.”
He’d grab a quick 40 winks in the afternoon and then be refreshed and ready to go for the rest of the day.
I used to think they were a sign of getting older.
But the joke’s on me… because now we’ve discovered those power naps could be the key to a younger brain.
The trick lies in getting the TIMING right.
For years, studies have hinted at a link between naps and better cognition.
But does napping actually produce better brain function?
To look more closely at this connection, researchers used data from more than 378,000 people in the UK Biobank (a database from an ongoing, long-term study started in 2016).
Instead of measuring how often people napped, they identified folks with 92 specific genes that genetically predisposed them to take regular siestas.
(Yes, this is a real thing!)
They found that genetically predisposed nap-takers were more likely to have BIGGER brains.
Specifically, there was a 15.8 cubic centimeter increase in total brain volume with daytime nappers.
This represents a brain age that’s up to 6.5 years younger.
Since your brain tends to shrink with age—and a loss of brain volume is connected to cognitive impairment—naps could represent a significant way to protect your brain function as you age.
This still doesn’t prove direct cause and effect, of course—but it DOES put another feather in the cap of the afternoon nap.
Just make sure it’s a TRUE power nap and not an all-afternoon siesta.
Because, while studies show the brain benefits from taking brief, 30 to 90-minute power snoozes, napping for longer than this can have the opposite effect.
P.S. Scientists warn not getting enough quality shuteye can cause the brain to “eat” itself. CLICK HERE for the disturbing details.
SOURCE:
“Is there an association between daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volume? A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank,” Sleep Health, Available online 20 June 2023, ISSN 2352-7218, doi. org/10.1016/j.sleh.2023.05.002.
