https://www.sciencealert.com/one-or-two ... and-strokeA new study has found a potential link between having one or two daytime naps a week, and a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. Any more napping than that though, and the benefits disappear.
Researchers monitored 3,462 volunteers in Switzerland for an average of a little over five years, getting them to note down their napping habits and then comparing those habits with incidents of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The figures showed that occasional napping – once or twice a week – was associated with a lower risk of heart attack, heart failure or stroke compared with not napping at all.
That association disappeared with more frequent napping though, and the link wasn't present in the over 65s (perhaps due to more complex health issues).
"While the exact physiological pathways linking daytime napping to cardiovascular disease risk is not clear, [this research] contributes to the ongoing debate on the health implications of napping, and suggests that it might not only be the duration, but also the frequency that matters," a pair of psychiatry researchers who weren't involved in the study write in an accompanying editorial published in the journal Heart.
During the five year followup, the study’s participants had 155 heart events, encompassing both fatal and non-fatal events. A “heart event” includes incidents such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart disease caused by clogged arteries that required surgical reopening.
The researchers found that napping just once or twice per week cut the risk of heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes by 48% compared to people didn’t nap at all.
By contrast, frequent napping initially appeared to increase the risk of adverse heart events by a whopping 67%. Fortunately researchers were able to determine that the risk disappeared after accounting for other risk factors.
Dr. Martha Gulati, a cardiologist who is editor-in-chief of CardioSmart.org, the American College of Cardiology’s patient website, thinks that it makes sense that napping frequently could be an indication of bigger health problems.
Gulati said, “I worry that somebody that naps every day isn’t getting good sleep,” she said. “Somebody who takes six or seven naps a week, I ask, are you not sleeping well at night? Is that how you’re catching up with your sleep?”
Gulati continued, “But I am still going to enjoy my Sunday naps, and now say I am working on lowering my risk for heart disease when my husband asks.”
https://www.sleepline.com/napping-heart ... s-strokes/
I do this once or twice a week when just simply one or two green tea would not bring back the productive mind, and it works well for me over the years. Glad to know that it has potential longer term positive effects too.
