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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- While an afternoon nap may feel like just what the doctor ordered, it may hinder recovery for older adults during a rehabilitation stay. The effects can even last months after patients leave.
Following an illness or injury, many older adults must go to a rehabilitation facility, like a nursing home, to continue recovering before they are released. Results of a new study show daytime sleeping during these stays predicts less physical recovery before patients are discharged. In follow-up testing three months after discharge, daytime sleeping during rehab remained a significant predictor of less functional recovery.
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We were surprised that the results suggested that it was the excessive daytime sleeping in the rehabilitation facility which was associated with less improvement in their physical functioning, Cathy A. Alessi, M.D., principal investigator from the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, was quoted as saying. We were also surprised by how long this effect lasted.
SOURCE: Sleep, 2008
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