Cat naps
Research suggests that taking naps may be good for your heart. In a new, large, prospective study, researchers found that a midday nap reduced coronary mortality by about one-third among men and women. A siesta is common in the Mediterranean region and several Latin American countries and those countries tend to have low mortality rates of coronary heart disease.
The study followed about 24,000 individuals, for an average of about 6.3 years, living in Greece who, at the beginning of the study, had no history of cornonary heart disease, stroke or cancer.
The results showed that people who reguarly took siestas, defined by the researchers as napping at least three times per week for an average of at least 30 minutes, had a 37% lower coronary mortality than those not taking siestas.
The researchers believe that an afternoon siesta in a healthy individual may act as a stress-releasing process, since there is considerable evidence that stress both long and short term adverse effects on mortality from coronary heart disease.
