The findings showed that older adults who napped most days or every day had a 48 per cent higher risk of developing dementia than those who rarely or never napped. Participants who frequently fell asleep without intending to had a 39 per cent higher risk.

Frequent daytime napping among older adults has been linked to a higher risk of developing dementia, with researchers suggesting that changes in sleeping habits could sometimes signal underlying changes in brain health years before a diagnosis.