Massachusetts General Hospital — ScienceDaily — 10 February 2021
A new study published in Nature Communications — the largest of its kind, using genetic data from 452,633 people — has identified 123 regions in the human genome associated with daytime napping. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Murcia, Spain found at least three potential mechanisms that promote napping: sleep propensity, disrupted night sleep, and early morning awakening. “This tells us that daytime napping is biologically driven and not just an environmental or behavioural choice,” said co-lead author Dr. Hassan Saeed Dashti. Some napping subtypes were also linked to cardiometabolic health concerns, including elevated blood pressure and large waist circumference.