When late-afternoon fatigue hits and happy hour at Dunkin’ Donuts is not an option, losing an hour of the day to the sweet serenity of a nap on the living room couch seems like a fair trade-off.
However, according to new research, people who consistently nap could be losing a lot more than one or two hours every day — they could be losing years.
A 13-year study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology revealed that individuals who nap during the day are more likely to die earlier than those who do not nap regularly.
The study, performed by researchers at Cambridge University, observed the sleeping habits of more than 16,000 men and women in the United Kingdom and found that people who take naps during the day are almost one-third more likely to die before they turn 65.
According to the GatorWell website, 44 percent of UF students report feeling well rested when they wake up in the morning on four or more days of the week.
The site offers a sleeping improvement program called Sleeping in the Swamp, developed for and tested by UF students, which provides tips for better sleep.
The program does not denounce naps but encourages students to keep naps shorter than one hour.
Carolyn Ivey, manager of North Florida Regional Medical Center’s Sleep Disorders Center, wrote in an email that multiple studies suggest the majority of college students are sleep deprived.
“Sleep is a time for our bodies to restore physical and mental health,” she said. “Sleep problems can interfere with quality of life and seriously impact health.”
Erratic work and class schedules, late-night study sessions and stress can result in an unhealthy sleep deprivation, said Ivey, 61.
“Naps are an attempt to regain lost sleep,” she said. “However, it takes more than a nap to recover from a serious sleep debt.”
Skylar Chwatt, a 21-year-old UF public relations senior, said the study might be misleading. She said she suspects that underlying health issues may encourage individuals to take more frequent naps as opposed to the other way around.
The study acknowledges the plausibility of such an idea and admits napping may be “an early sign of system disregulation and a marker of future health problems.”
Chwatt said her grandfather, who is almost 80 years old, is an advocate of naps.
“He is one of the healthiest guys I know — still swims laps every morning — but, man, does that guy love to nap,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 4/15/2014 under the headline "Pillow talk: Snoozing means losing years"]
