An Entrepreneur's Guide to Napping 4

Napping, dementia, and Alzheimer's: read the fine print

Happy to welcome Barry McBride back for the fourth part in his series on napping and entrepreneurship! Today, Barry tackles a very serious topic, one that I plan to explore further in a future series about certain health risks associated with napping. I’ll also share that my family, like many out there, has been impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and I firmly agree with Barry that they’re no laughing matter.

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In this, the fourth part of my series railing against Corporate America for ignoring the nap's restorative power, I have a word or two to say about a modern scourage: Alzheimer's disease. It's a weighty subject for a light-hearted blog on napping, but nonetheless, here we are. 

We're here because I thought I read a headline that linked napping and dementia. This caused concern since I'd like to retain my mental faculties and nap frequently. If excess napping helped bring about dementia, I would have to reassess how I spend my afternoons. This is particularly true as napping tends to increase as one gets older, which is also something I plan on doing. 

As a media member, however, I should know the mistake inherent in just reading headlines and ignoring the content. It turns out the actual link is correlation, not causation. In other words, napping doesn't cause increased dementia, but the increased napping time can indicate it is developing (in some cases). 

Quite the opposite. To help stave off Alzheimer's, research shows that taking care of your mitochondria may be an answer. Exercise, a healthy diet and low stress are keys. 

Do you know when my stress and anxiety are at their lowest possible point? When I'm napping. 

c/o xkcd - no rights asserted

See the value a little extra reading can do when trying to rationalize napping behavior? It's invaluable. Also, reading summaries of scientific papers can make you tired. It all works together.