- A new study, which included more than 300,000 people, found out that a long nap at daytime increased the tendency to develop metabolic syndromes
- Regular naps are healthy and harmless, but once it goes longer than 40 minutes, it can link to a number of health conditions which result in premature death
- Researchers explained that during long naps, the body assumes that it is about to enter deep sleep and finds its metabolic cycle unsettled after waking up
CHICAGO, Illinois – A new study revealed that taking a nap lasting more than 40 minutes can increase the risk of premature death.
The new study, which included more than 300,000 people, found out that long nap during daytime is not as healthy as it was perceived as people who tend to do this got an increased tendency to develop metabolic syndromes including obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Lizzie Parry mentioned in her article for Mail Online published on March 25 that the research was a compilation from the analysis of 21 observational studies outlining 307,237 people’s collective data.
The research was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual conference and said that regular naps are healthy and harmless, but once it goes longer than 40 minutes, it can link to a number of health conditions which result in premature death.
The participants were asked if they have a habit of taking a daytime nap then crossed referenced the replies with the data from their medical history, including a history of obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
The study analyzed the correlation between the two and found out that if the naps lasted longer than 40 minutes, the relationship exists. However, if naps were shorter, this link was not noticed.
An article by Siobhan Fenton for the Independent published on March 27 said the researchers explained that during long naps, the body assumes that it is about to enter deep sleep and finds its metabolic cycle unsettled after waking up.
As for short naps, the body does not enter a deep sleep phase and will not experience this jolt.
“Taking naps is widely prevalent around the world. So clarifying the relationship between naps and metabolic disease might offer a new strategy of treatment, especially as metabolic disease has been increasing steadily all over the world,” said Dr. Tomohide Tamada, the lead author of the study who is a Ph.D. diabetologist at the University of Tokyo.
“Sleep is an important component of our healthy lifestyle, as well as diet and exercise. Short naps might have a beneficial effect on our health, but we don’t yet know the strength of that effect or the mechanism by which it works,” he added.
Post a Comment