Afternoon Naps and Your Heart

According to a study that’ll appear in Monday’s issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, an afternoon nap will do your heart a world of good.

In the largest study ever on the health benefits of napping, researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped for about half an hour 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 researchers believe that the benefits to the heart stems from a reduction of stress. 

Sometimes when stress has you in a corner, the only way out is down!  As in on the couch, in a recliner, on the bed, on the kitchen floor (been there, done that).  When we think we’re too busy for a nap?  That’s when we need one the most.

We all know that stress puts a beating on our heart - it’s like a laced up, well-trained boxer and our heart is its punching bag.  Anytime we can provide it with the means to get out of arm’s reach of stress, we should do so.  If it likes a couple of afternoon naps a week, slow be it!