Here’s some news to sleep on. If you don’t snooze, you’ll lose – some health benefits, that is. And if you do snooze, you’ll lose – at least when it comes to weight.
Just what is all this sleep-talk about?
Scientific research continues to uncover evidence that sleep has many health benefits. It’s long been known that a proper night’s sleep can boost a person’s mood, but new studies indicate that it is good for the heart, brain, and waistline, too.
With Americans sleeping, on average, only about 6.5 hours per night (instead of the recommended eight), this might seem like a tough sell. But the good news is that power naps can help.
In one long-term study of more than 23,000 people, scientists found that midday napping, or siestas, reduced deaths from heart disease by about one-third. Even occasional nappers – those who napped fewer than three times per week – had a 12 percent reduction in coronary mortality.
The protective effect of naps was especially strong in working men, the researchers determined.
“Taking a nap could turn out to be an important weapon in the fight against coronary mortality,” Dimitrios Trichopoulos, the study’s lead author, told the Washington Post. “If you have an opportunity to take a nap, then, yes, do it. If you’re accustomed to taking a nap, then don’t give it up.”
While our society has tended to view some nappers as “lazy,” afternoon siestas are commonplace in some countries. And for good reason. A growing body of research suggests that naps can boost memory and help with academic performance. “Even an ultra short period of sleep is sufficient to enhance memory processing,” concluded German researchers after analyzing how well college students performed on memory tests after napping.
If you needed another good reason to get enough shuteye, consider this. Research also suggests that sleep levels influence how much people weigh. Several studies have linked sleep deprivation to increased hunger and weight gain. Others have found that people who get less than seven hours of sleep a night are more likely to be obese than those who sleep longer. But overdoing it isn’t a good thing, either. Recent studies have shown that adults who get more than nine hours of sleep a day don’t live as long as people who get the recommended eight.
Fortunately, some Americans are beginning to wake up to the benefits of napping. In one recent poll, 34 percent of people surveyed said their employer allows them to nap during breaks – and 16 percent had an employer who actually provided them with a place to do so.
Ideally, naps should be about 20 to 30 minutes in length to help minimize grogginess. It is also wise to avoid napping too late in the day, as that can interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night, the National Sleep Foundation cautions.
Sleep and other lifestyle choices, however, are not the only factors involved in whether you will develop obesity or suffer a heart attack. Genes also play a major role. The Navigenics genetic health service can help you determine whether you have a genetic predisposition to about two dozen health conditions. If you have an above-average risk for obesity and heart attack, adequate sleep is one of many preventive measures you can take to potentially help reduce your overall risk of developing these conditions.
So now, in addition to power walking, and power eating, consider adding one more healthy habit—power napping.
3freester Mar 5, 2009
In one long-term study of more than 23,000 people, scientists found that midday napping, or siestas, reduced deaths from heart disease by about one-third. Even occasional nappers – those who napped fewer than three times per week – had a 12 percent reduction in coronary mortality.