Do not abuse the nap; just one or two a week is associated with a lower risk of heart attack. This is the conclusion of a new scientific study published in the journal Heart.
The study was carried out in 3,462 residents of Lausanne (Switzerland) between the ages of 35 and 75, randomly selected. Age, duration of nighttime sleep, and other cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol , were variables considered in the preparation of the study.
The researchers’ results reveal that occasional naps reduce the risk of heart failure by almost half (48%) compared to those who do not perform this Mediterranean habit. And the usual ‘naps’? People who took frequent naps (3 a week or more) had more daytime sleepiness and also had a higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea (a condition in which the throat passages narrow and prevent air from entering, interrupting sleep cycles) . But this risk was especially pronounced in certain profiles: elderly people, men, smokers and overweight people, for whom the risk of vascular failure was 67%.
Patient follow-up occurred for five years, from 2009 to 2012, during which there were 155 fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events. Among the participants, 58% did not nap during the previous week, 19% did it between one or two times, 12% napped three to five times and 11% did it six to seven times. week.
Short or long naps?
Regarding the nap and its implications for health, a classic question is the duration: are long naps more advisable, or short naps? The study we are talking about did not find an answer to this question. As Nadine Hausler , lead author of the study, points out in statements to the SINC Agency: “We only found an association between the frequency of naps and cardiovascular disease, while we did not find any connection with the duration of the nap.”
There is no consensus in the scientific community about how to measure naps. Furthermore, since this study is observational, no clear cause-effect patterns can be established. Of course, some interesting and useful conclusions can be drawn to apply to our health.
As Hausler explains: “People who take few naps compensate for a lack of nighttime sleep and therefore this rest can have a stress-relieving effect. In contrast, the reason people take frequent naps may be due to an underlying chronic condition. ” However, researchers cannot be sure of the exact mechanism.
Many other studies have tried to link napping to cardiovascular health. For example, Harvard University researcher Dimitrios Trichopoulos found that those who slept thirty minutes after eating at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of death from heart disease, in a six-year study of duration with a sample of 20,000 people between 20 and 80 years of age.
Reference:
Häusler N, Marques-Vidal P, Haba-Rubio J, Heinzer R. Does sleep predict next-day napping or does napping influence same-day nocturnal sleep? Results of a population-based ecological momentary assessment study. Heart (2019). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31300205
