A nap a day might keep heart attacks away

It should come as no surprise to learn that midday naps might be good for one's 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 and make one 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 the American Medical Association, "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 sixyear 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 shut-eye in the middle of the day.

After 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. Nonworking

men who napped, mean

while, had a 36 percent re

duction in risk.

"We interpret our findings as indicating that among healthy adults, si

esta, possibly on ac

count of stress-releasing

consequences, may re

duce coronary mortality,"

the researchers stated.

The fact that the associa

tion was stronger in work

ing men, who likely face jobrelated stress, than nonworking men is compatible with this hypothesis.

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

This story is provided by State Point Media.