Taking midday naps may reduce death from heart disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study among Greek adults shows that midday naps reduce the risk of death from heart disease.
Taking a midday nap - or siesta - is common in Mediterranean countries and in Central America. But it has never been clear whether this habit has any impact upon health. In a new study, researchers at the University of Athens Medical School, Greece, studied a group of 23,681 mean and women aged 20 to 86 without a history of heart problems. They asked them whether they took midday naps and, if so, how often and for how long.

During around six years of follow-up there were 792 deaths, including 133 from heart disease. Those taking naps of any frequency and duration were 34 per cent less likely to die from heart disease. Among systematic nappers, taking a nap of 30 minutes or more at least three times a week, the risk of dying from heart disease was 37 per cent lower. And among working men, naps reduced the heart death risk by 64 per cent. There were not enough deaths among working women to assess how napping affected their risk. The researchers believe that the napping habit may reduce stress and this may explain why it reduces the risk of death from heart disease.

Source
Archives of Internal Medicine 12th February 2007 Volume 167 pages 296-301

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