Nursing home napping leads to poor rehab recovery, research finds

Excessive daytime sleeping among seniors undergoing rehabilitation treatment actually hinders their recovery–even up to three months after discharge–according to new research.

Scientists tracked the sleeping patterns of 245 seniors with an average age of 80 years as they underwent rehab treatment in a nursing facility. On average, the participants spent 15.8% of the day, or 2.1 hours, napping. Researchers found that those who slept longer showed much less functional recovery than their more wakeful counterparts. A three-month follow up confirmed that, even long after discharge, those who slept longer recovered noticeably less.

Researchers speculate that more daytime sleeping could lead patients to be less motivated to perform rehab activities. They note that, unlike some predictors for rehabilitation outcomes, time spent sleeping during the day can be easily modified. The full report can be found in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.