Representative survey: Almost every second adult takes an afternoon nap

dpa | According to a representative survey, almost every second adult in Germany takes a nap at least once a week. Most people treat themselves to a nap once or twice a week, followed by the group that takes a power nap every day, as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports. The extent to which people would like to take an afternoon nap more often but are unable to do so - for example because of their job - was not asked.

Of around 8,000 participants, around 45 percent said they had taken a nap or laid down at least once a week in the past four weeks and had not done anything active, as the RKI announced. For women it was 47 percent and for men 44 percent.

Most people allow themselves a nap once or twice a week, followed by the group who take a power nap every day. According to the information, people aged 65 and over as well as people with low formal educational qualifications take their daily afternoon nap.

A short afternoon nap of less than 60 minutes has a positive effect, according to the RKI. Afterwards, people felt less tired and more productive.

A quarter of adults who take a nap at least once a week are reported to sleep for 60 minutes or longer. However, according to the RKI, such a long afternoon nap is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, dementia and depression.

It's about a statistical, not a causal connection, as the RKI said. The survey does not show that long sleep triggers the illnesses. For example, it may also be the case that people with more underlying illnesses have a greater need for sleep.

Women under 45 are more likely to take an extended nap at least once a week compared to older age groups. The RKI writes: “The increased stress caused by care work and the resulting reduced night sleep could be a possible explanation.”

The RKI also surveyed thousands of people about this. The result: The adult population sleeps an average of 7 hours and 26 minutes per night. On average, adults sleep 7 hours and 15 minutes less during the week than 7 hours and 53 minutes on the weekend. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 actually sleep more than an hour longer on weekends than on weekdays (8 hours and 23 minutes versus 7 hours and 20 minutes).

According to the recommendation of many sleep doctors, adults should sleep seven to nine hours per night, and seven to eight hours from the age of 65. It is expressly emphasized that the sleep required by each individual varies greatly.