Maria Godoy

The researchers note that while brief naps can help improve alertness and alleviate fatigue, excessive napping later in life has previously been linked to poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration.

The researchers say the findings suggest tracking napping patterns in older adults could be a clinically useful way to spot health problems early on.

Maria Godoy, NPR News.

In the study, researchers looked at data from more than 1,300 adults who were followed for up to 19 years.

Participants were 81 years old on average.

Their nap activity was tracked with wearable devices.

The study found that napping in the morning and taking longer, more frequent naps were linked to a higher risk of dying in older adults.

The researchers note that while brief naps can help improve alertness and alleviate fatigue,

Excessive napping later in life has previously been linked to poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration.

The researchers say the findings suggest tracking napping patterns in older adults could be a clinically useful way to spot health problems early on.

Maria Godoy, NPR News.

The study comes from the UK Health Security Agency, where researchers looked at outcomes for some 289,000 babies born between September 2024 and March 2025.

That was the first season that the UK offered free RSV vaccines to all pregnant women in their third trimester.

That maternal vaccination dramatically cut the risk that babies ended up hospitalized, says study author Matt Wilson.

Clinical trials had shown the shot to be about 70% effective.

The research was presented at the meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Maria Godoy, NPR News.

Last year, the U.S.

confirmed 2,287 measles cases, the highest number in decades.

In a new modeling study, researchers at Yale estimated that responding to those cases cost the country some $244 million.