Naps: Sometimes They're Good, Sometimes They're Bad

Naps, especially for adults desperate for a little shut-eye at the office, can be a good thing. (And notice we said "can" there.) If you want to get a 15 to 20 minute lite set of sleep during your lunch break, by all means. Take a trip to your car or the office break room and go right to it. Unfortunately, taking the full hour break to sleep is not the best idea. While a little nap like we mentioned can help to control blood pressure levels, Greek scientists say, longer naps could actually lead to other health issues. 

"Μidday sleep is a habit that nowadays is almost a privileged due to a nine to five working culture and intense daily routine. However the real question regarding this habit is: is it only a custom or is it also beneficial?" Dr. Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion Voula General Hospital in Athens, Greece, said in a statement.

In this recent study, researchers collected data on close to 400 middle aged patients with arterial hypertension. After this, they followed measurements performed in all patients: midday sleep time, office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, 2 lifestyle habits, body mass index (BMI) and a complete echocardiographic evaluation.

While a previous Cambridge study found that nap lovers sleeping for over an hour during their work day, these findings suggested that naps, in moderate amounts of time, were generally good for the body. 

Findings revealed that midday sleepers had 5 percent lower average 24 hour ambulatory systolic BP (6 mmGh) compared to those who did not sleep at all midday. In comparison, their average systolic BP readings were 4 percent when they were awake (5mmHg) and 6 percent lower while they slept at night (7mmHg) when compared to non-midday sleepers.

However, there was also a difference based on the duration of sleep during midday. Those who slept for 60 minutes had 4 mmHg lower average 24 hour systolic BP readings and a 2 percent higher dipping status when compared to patients who did not sleep midday.

"Our study shows that not only is midday sleep associated with lower blood pressure, but longer sleeps are even more beneficial. Midday sleepers had greater dips in blood pressure while sleeping at night which is associated with better health outcomes. We also found that hypertensive patients who slept at noon were under fewer antihypertensive medications compared to those who didn't sleep midday," Kallistratos added.

More information regarding the findings were presented at the ESC Congress Saturday. 

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