Association Between Nap Duration and Cognitive Functions Among Saudi Older Adults

PURPOSE: Current evidence of whether napping promotes or declines cognitive functions among older adults is contradictory. The aim of this study was to determine the association between nap duration and cognitive functions among Saudi older adults. METHODS: Old adults (> 60 years) were identified from the Covid-19 vaccine center at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia between May and August 2021. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by a geriatrician or family physicians. Data collected for each participant included sociodemographic, sleep patterns, health status and cognitive functions. St. Louis University mental status (SLUMS) was used to assess the cognitive functions. A multi-Linear regression model was used to determine the association between cognitive functions and nap duration. RESULTS: Two-hundred participants (58 females) aged 66 ± 5 years were recruited. Participants were categorized according to their nap duration into non-nappers (0 min), short nappers (> 0- ≤ 30 min), moderate nappers (> 30–≤ 90 min), and extended nappers (> 90 min). The mean duration of the nap was 49.1 ± 58.4 min. The mean SLUMS score was 24.1 ± 4.7 units. Using the multi-linear regression model, the mean total SLUMS score for extended nappers was, on average, significantly lower than non-nappers [−2.16 units; 95% CI (−3.66, −0.66), p = < 0.01] after controlling for the covariates (age, sex, education level, sleep hours, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, pain). CONCLUSIONS: Extended napping was associated with deterioration in cognitive function among Saudi older adults.