AFTERNOON naps help to stave off dementia, a study found.
Enjoying a siesta during the day can slow down the rate your brain shrinks, keeping it bigger and healthier into middle and old age.
Scientists at University College London used data from 378,932 Brits aged 40 to 69.
They found some people are genetically more likely to nod off during daylight and scans showed the nappers’ brains looked 2.6 to 6.5 years younger.
Senior author of the study Dr Victoria Garfield said: “For some people, short daytime naps may be a part of the puzzle that helps preserve brain health as we get older.
“I hope this study can help to reduce the stigma that still exists around daytime napping.”
The researchers suggest a quick kip of less than 30 minutes early in the afternoon is best.
They said it can protect the brain from deterioration caused by not sleeping enough at night.
One in five Brits say they regularly take naps during the daytime, with older people more likely to doze.
Twenty-seven per cent of over-60s nap “often” or “fairly often”, YouGov polling found last year, compared to 13 per cent of under-25s.
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Too little sleep is known to raise the risk of disease but science about the benefits of naps is mixed, with some studies finding they are a sign of ill health.
Dr Garfield’s study compared the volume of brain matter in people whose DNA made them more or less likely to nap during the day.
A higher brain volume indicates it is bigger, heavier and packed with more vital nerves, lowering the risk of dementia.
Dementia affects more than 850,000 Brits and one in six over-80s – and is the UK’s leading cause of death.
The study found people who napped had a brain volume 1.3 per cent higher, on average.
Writing in the journal Sleep Health, lead author Valentina Paz said: “Declines in brain volume are expected with ageing.
“An analysis found that after 35 years old, a steady decline occurs of 0.2 per cent per year, which accelerates to 0.5 per cent per year at the age of 60 and greater than 0.5 per cent after the age of 60.
“Our finding of a larger total brain volume in those who habitually nap is approximately equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of difference in ageing.”
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