Not Just For Babies
Does napping prevent heart attacks?
You should ask a security guard named Pedro Soria.
Pedro Soria?
Yes. He was the 62 year old winner of the first Siesta National Championship held in Madrid, Spain in 2010. Contestants took naps in a busy and noisy shopping mall. The winner was judged on pajamas, sleeping position, snoring, speed to fall asleep and sleeping around 20 minutes. What separated Pedro from his competition was his ability to snore at 70 decibels, allowing him to take home 1,000 Euros.
Well since I don’t have his phone number, could you just tell me the answer?
Yes. Naps probably do prevent heart disease.
Hallelujah! Tell me more.
Winston Churchill was a night owl who loved naps and is credited with coining the term “power nap.” Leonardo Da Vinci ONLY napped – he never slept at night like us common folk who aren’t regularly painting masterpieces. He would take 20 minute naps every four hours. Another famous napper, Ronald Reagan, joked that his cabinet chair should be inscribed with “Ronald Reagan slept here.”
Interesting. I’ve always associated napping with laziness.
Many Americans feel that napping is a sign of low ambition or something only for the really young or old. However, most Americans (including me) are sleep deprived, according to the National Commission on Sleep. In fact, the average night’s sleep in the US has gone from 9 hours in 1910 to 6.8 hours in 2013.
Many other countries and cultures value napping, right?
In Japan, those who are seen napping at work are considered people who are working late hours at night, implying devotion to their jobs. Some Japanese employees even fake job-napping to appear like they are more committed to their jobs.
I can’t nap; I feel groggy when I wake up.
The grogginess that comes after napping has a name: sleep inertia. It is prevented by not napping longer than 20-30 minutes. In fact, short naps, or even laying down without sleeping for 5-10 minutes, have been shown to improve mental and physical performance and memory better than the stuff you get at Dutch Brothers.
My, you can really get off topic! What kind of napping prevents heart attacks?
Here’s a question for you: Who has less heart attacks? Non-nappers, occasional nappers, or frequent nappers?
Snort . . . Oh, sorry. I was nodding off there.
No worries. Here’s a napkin. The answer is that occasional nappers (1-2 naps/week) have less heart attacks than non-nappers and frequent nappers (>3 naps/week).
You mean people who don’t nap have a higher risk of heart attacks? Why?
It’s possible that non-nappers either don’t manage the stress of their lives well or they have no break from their stressful lives. One who managed his stress well was a little guy named Napoleon. He was so confident in war that he could nap even before battle. Ultimately, it’s felt that napping has significant stress-relieving effects that may prevent heart attacks.
Will napping too long lead to heart attacks?
Probably. In one study of about 150,000 people, napping for more than 60 minutes a day was associated with a higher risk of heart attacks and death. In fact, the ideal nap time was no more than 30 minutes. A German study of 4,123 adults also showed that napping for more than 60 minutes increased heart attack risk. One exception is that napping for more than 60 minutes does not cause heart attacks if you get less than 6 hours of sleep/night.
Well doc, summarize it for me.
Napping one to two times per week for less than 60 minutes may protect one from having a heart attack. Not napping or napping frequently does not lower the risk of heart attacks. Taking a restful break for even 5-10 minutes can improve performance and memory, as well as relieve stress.
So remember, when somebody gives you a hard time for napping, let them know you’re an elite athlete training for the 2020 Siesta National Championships next year in Madrid.
