Increased risk of metabolic syndrome
According to research by the Chinese University of Technology (China) published in February 2025, napping for more than 30 minutes a day can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, especially in older women.
In April 2023, a study published in the journal Obesity showed that the optimal napping time was less than 30 minutes.
People who take a 30-minute nap are 41% more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than normal. In particular, sugar levels, blood pressure and weight are affected.
Sleeping at noon too long also increases the risk of stroke. Specifically, compared to people who take a nap for less than 30 minutes, people who sleep for 31-60 minutes have a 27% higher risk of stroke. Meanwhile, a 6-minute sleep at noon will increase the risk of stroke by 37%.
Increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease
A study published at the European Cardiovascular Year's Conference in 2020 said that napping for more than 1 hour at midday increases the risk of death by 30%, the risk of cardiovascular disease by 35% compared to normal. Sleep duration is closely linked to mortality.
If the sleep time is too long, the central nervous system of the brain will cause the capillaries of brain tissue to close for too long, slowing down the metabolism in the body, causing fatigue after waking up.
Risk of heart rhythm
A 14-year international study that followed more than 20,000 people carefully analyzed the relationship between napping and reservoir vibration (a common arrhythmia).
The results showed that people who slept for more than 30 minutes had the highest risk of frostbite. People who take a 15 to 30 minute nap have the lowest risk of frostbite. People who do not sleep at noon have an average risk of tick viciousness, which is between these two groups.
Taking a nap for more than 30 minutes can cause insomnia or poor sleep at night. Long-term lack of sleep will increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and indirectly affect cardiovascular health.
Many people go to bed right after lunch and are likely to cause fat accumulation and obesity, factors that increase the condition of atrial fibrillation.
Increased risk of Alzheimer's disease
According to a post in Alzheimer's & Dementia magazine in 2023, napping and brain aging are two-way related. Taking too much afternoon sleep during the day increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 40%.
