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Is frequent napping linked to poor heart health?
DALLAS, JULY 25, 2022 — Napping on a regular basis is associated with higher risks for high blood pressure and stroke, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. Wang and colleagues found that, compared to those who reported “never/rarely” napping, people who frequently napped during the day had a 12% higher chance of developing hypertension and a 24% higher chance of having a stroke. Naps exceeding half an hour during the day could possibly lead to serious health conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Naps and Sleep Deprivation You can get incredible benefits from 15 to 20 minutes of napping, she says. You reset the system and get a burst of alertness and increased motor performance. That’s what most people really need to stave off sleepiness and get an energy boost. For example, some studies have found that adults who take long naps during the day may be more likely to have conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and depression.
Is napping good for heart?
Naska et al. suggested that cardiovascular stress could be reduced by daytime sleep. Several studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of taking short naps less than 30 minutes in duration, which help to increase alertness and motor skills. “There is no line at which napping is too frequent.” However, Rebekah Delling, MFA, LMT, a Certified Sleep Coach and the owner of Hypnotic Massage Sleep Boutique, told Verywell that if those naps exceed 30 minutes or more several times a week, it might indicate underlying health issues and sleep deprivation. A new study found that daytime naps were associated with an increased risk of dementia. Older adults in the study were 40 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease when they napped daily or snoozed for more than an hour on nap days, the study found. But naps can also have their downsides. Naps for adults should be no more than an hour and probably best kept to the 15- to 20-minute range. Anything beyond that – especially considering the time of day – could have consequences. If you’re experiencing an increased need for naps and there’s no obvious cause of new fatigue in your life, talk to your doctor. You could be taking a medication or have a sleep disorder or other medical condition that’s disrupting your nighttime sleep. Excessive daytime sleepiness or tiredness is a symptom sometimes associated with high blood pressure, and it has been shown to be a potential warning sign for cardiac events. 2 High blood pressure may also be linked to tiredness in other ways, such as sleep disturbances.
Is frequent napping linked to high blood pressure?
People who take naps on a regular basis may be more likely to have high blood pressure, according to a study published in the September 2022 issue of Hypertension. The study included about 360,000 people without high blood pressure or a previous stroke who were followed for an average of 11 years. Taking a nap could do more than just renew your energy levels and mood, according to emerging evidence. Several researchers have found that taking a siesta is not only linked to lower blood pressure levels, but also improved sleep quality and wake performance. BP decreases during sleep, and reduced dipping of BP during sleep increases cardiovascular risk. Habitual short sleep duration is associated with hypertension, especially during middle age. Insomnia with objective short sleep duration also is associated with increased hypertension risk. A long nap, such as two hours per day, could indicate sleep deprivation or another sleep disorder, which may need a doctor’s consultation.
Are frequent naps healthy?
According to a study published Monday in Hypertension, a journal from the American Heart Association, napping on a regular basis was associated with a 12% higher risk of developing high blood pressure, and a 24% higher risk of having an ischemic stroke. Experts say daily napping may be a sign of inadequate nighttime sleep or an underlying health problem. One expert says naps should be shorter than 30 minutes or longer than 90 minutes. “A power nap is a nap that’s short — less than 30 minutes long,” says Safia Khan, MD, a specialist in sleep disorders and an assistant professor in the department of family and community medicine and the department of neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Studies show that an afternoon nap is great for adults, too. There’s no need to feel lazy for indulging in daytime sleep. A short nap in the mid-afternoon can boost memory, improve job performance, lift your mood, make you more alert, and ease stress.
Why is napping good for your heart?
It has been reported that a short nap can reduce stress and blood pressure, with the greatest decline of blood pressure being associated with vasodilation of more than 9% that occurs between the start of resting and actually falling asleep (onset of stage 1 sleep). Naps increase energy, improve reaction time and reduce daytime sleepiness. They lower stress and help to regulate mood, reducing anxiety and depression and inducing relaxation. Why do I feel worse after taking a nap? That familiar groggy feeling is called sleep inertia, and it means that your brain wants to keep sleeping and complete a full sleep cycle. But when you sleep on your right side, you place a significant amount of pressure upon the blood vessels responsible for transporting blood to your heart.” But low blood pressure can sometimes make you feel tired or dizzy. In those cases, hypotension can be a sign of an underlying condition that should be treated.
Is napping regularly linked to high blood pressure and stroke?
Investigators reported that people who frequently naps may have an increased risk of high blood pressure and ischemic stroke by 12% compared to people who do not nap. CLEVELAND – A recent study has found that older adults who regularly nap for more than an hour a day had a 40% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In a new study recently published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2022), Li and colleagues report on the results of their long-term study of more than 1,400 older adults, which points to a link between excessive daytime napping and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Naps are good for both children and adults. Many studies point out nap time reduces daytime sleepiness, as well as boosts learning and performance. For shift workers, naps can improve alertness and reaction times. And we know babies, toddlers, and young children benefit from naps in numerous ways. Limiting your naps to 10 to 20 minutes can leave you feeling more alert and refreshed. More than that, especially longer than 30 minutes, is likely to leave you feeling sluggish, groggy, and more tired than before you closed your eyes. Those who slept for six hours or more were also found to have better sugar control, compared with those who got less than five hours’ sleep at night. However, those who slept for long periods at night and also slept in the day were shown to also have poor blood sugar control.