Siesta as Fatal Heart Reducer
Researchers monitored 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of six years. Those who napped for about half an hour for at least three times weekly had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap.
The study, which covered a broad range of people – ages 20 to 86 – factored in diet, exercise, smoking and other habits that affect the heart, but still showed that napping seemed to help.
Dr. Marvin Wooten, a sleep specialist at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee said that it’s possible for those who napped that they “are just people who take better care of themselves,” which could benefit the heart. But Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, the study’s senior author and a researcher at Harvard University and the University of Athens Medical School, said, “If you can (nap), do it. If you have a sofa in your office, if you can relax, do it.”
(news.yahoo.com)
