HEALTHY LIVING Health Insider
NAPPING LINKED TO HIGHER MORTALITY RISK A daytime nap may be more than a sign that you’re tired — it could also signal underlying health problems, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers followed
adults ages 54 and older for about 20 years and found that while an occasional short nap was unlikely to be harmful, longer and more frequent naps were associated with declining health and a higher risk of death.
Each additional hour
of daytime napping was linked to a 13% increase in mortality risk. And people who typically napped in the morning had a 30% higher risk of death than those who napped in the afternoon.
VITAMIN C HELPS KEEP AGING BRAINS HEALTHY A study of 2,044 older adults found that those with lower blood levels of vitamin C tended to have less gray matter, the part of the
brain involved in processing
information. The researchers also found
that participants with lower vitamin C levels had weaker connectivity within the brain’s default mode network, which plays an important role in memory, self-reflection, and thinking about the future. “This finding generates the
exciting hypothesis that a diet rich in vitamin C might play a supportive role in maintaining brain health and mitigating age-related cognitive decline
in older adults,” said Tomohiro Shintaku, M.D., Ph.D., of Hirosaki University in Japan. Results were published in PLOS One.
GAMING MAY HELP COPE WITH LONELINESS Researchers surveyed 2,252 adults age 21 and older about their gaming habits, emotional well-being, and feelings of loneliness. They found that some
games may provide emotional benefits beyond simple escapism. Adults who played open-world adventure games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and accessible “feel-good” games, such as Yoshi’s Crafted World, reported lower levels of loneliness than people who did not play video games. “Contrary to
the stereotype of gaming as mere escapism, we found that open-world and accessible, joyous games can help foster a resilient, stoic mindset and alleviate loneliness,” said study author Andreas B. Eisingerich, Ph.D., of Imperial College London.
JOINT PAIN SUPPLEMENT LINKED TO HIGHER DEMENTIA RISK An over-the-counter supplement commonly used to relieve arthritis pain may be linked to a faster progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in Nature Metabolism. Neuroscientists at the
University of Florida analyzed 104 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | OCTOBER 2026 NAPPING STATISTICS 34% The percentage of
American adults who nap on a typical day.
patient records, as well as data from human brain tissue and mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. After accounting
for factors such as age and sex, they found that people who took glucosamine had a 25% higher risk of progressing
from MCI to dementia than those who did not use the supplement. The researchers also found that glucosamine use was associated with a 25% higher risk of death during the study period.
EXERCISE MAY REDUCE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF NANOPLASTICS For a study published in The FASEB Journal, researchers exposed adult female zebrafish to polystyrene
52.6% The share of nappers
who report feeling groggy after waking.
60
The number of minutes the average nap lasts.
nanoplastics for 21 days, with or without moderate aerobic exercise. Fish exposed to the
nanoplastics showed a buildup of particle-like structures in their ovaries, increased oxidative stress, greater follicular cell death, and disrupted reproductive hormone levels. The nanoplastics also
triggered anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and increased levels of stress hormones. In contrast, zebrafish
that exercised experienced fewer of these harmful effects, suggesting that regular aerobic activity may help lessen some of the biological damage caused by nanoplastic exposure.
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