A nap a day might keep heart attacks away

It should come as no surprise to learn that midday naps might be good for your health - just ask anyone who has ever taken a siesta when he or she should have been working.

For centuries we've known that a midday nap might be just the thing to refresh you and make you more alert to take on challenges during the rest of the day. Now comes word from medical researchers that taking regular midday naps is associated with reduced risk of death from heart disease.

According to new research published in the Journal of American Medical Association's "Archives of Internal Medicine," evidence suggests that in countries where siestas are common, rates of death from heart disease tend to be lower.

The new study was conducted by Greek researchers over a six year period and found that midday naps lowered the risks of death from heart attacks up to 64 percent. The researchers studied 23,681 men and women with some heartening results for those who like to catch some shuteye in the middle of the day.

Indeed, after the researchers factored in other cardiovascular risk factors, individuals who took naps of any frequency and duration had a 34 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who did not take midday naps.

Systematic nappers, those who took a siesta for 30 minutes or more at least three times per week, had a 37 percent lower risk of heart-related death.

The most eye-popping results came among working men, with those who took midday naps either occasionally or systematically having a 64 percent lower risk of death from heart disease during the study than those who did not nap. Non-working men who napped, meanwhile, had a 36 percent reduction in risk.

"We interpret our findings as indicating that among healthy adults, siesta, possibly on account of stress-releasing consequences, may reduce coronary mortality," write the researchers. The fact that the association was stronger in working men, who likely face job-related stress, than nonworking men is compatible with this hypothesis, they assert.

So, the next time the boss catches you asleep, tell him or her to pull up a pillow as well.

(Source: SPM Wire)