Prevalence of Naps in the General Population

Epidemiological data in the general population on daytime napping are scarce (1-4). This paucity of information reflects a disinterest from epidemiologists probably due to such popular beliefs that napping is a benign lifestyle habit shared mostly by elderly persons or a cultural phenomenon encountered primarily in warm, southern climates. Numerous clinical studies, however, have explored the function of napping in the circadian rhythm (5,6), its possibility in the treatment of narcolepsy (7,8), its effects in adaptating to shift work (9-12) and its role in the sleep of the elderly (13). Clinical evidence clearly shows that napping increases linearly with age (1,14). This suggests that sleep physiology changes as a function of age: napping is often considered a normal characteristic of aging on a par with other sleep problems, most notably, disrupted sleep (15). This study aims to assess the frequency of daytime napping as a function of aging in a general population sample and to identify related factors to daytime napping such as life habits and sleep disorders.