Does a daily siesta sound like something to you? An afternoon nap is not always good for your health, especially if your nap lasts longer than an hour.
Afternoon naps:not so simple
Behind something as simple as an afternoon nap is complete science. It was already known that an afternoon nap of less than 30 minutes is ideal, so you avoid falling into a deep sleep. Now there appears to be another reason not to doze off too long.
Research into afternoon naps
A 13-year study now shows that those who sleep for an hour or more during the day have a 32 percent higher chance of dying at a young age. 25,000 adults between the ages of 40 and 79 were studied. 16,000 of them do take an afternoon nap. Their data was kept for 13 years.
Premature death
After that period, people who took an afternoon nap of an hour or more were found to have an increased chance of dying. The causes of death were various conditions, including heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases.
How is that possible?
Long afternoon naps could be a sign of disturbances in the body, which could indicate future health problems. It could also be that naps trigger inflammation in the body.
Set your alarm
People who took naps of less than an hour were not associated with health problems. You can take your afternoon nap with peace of mind, but set your alarm just to be sure.
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