[ad_1]
According to a study published in the journal Heart, a daytime nap once or twice a week, but not more often, is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.
No association was found, however, between the length of naps and the risk of cardiovascular events.
Although interesting, these discoveries should not worry anyone about not being nap. The study has many caveats, including a very important one: it is observational, that is, it can not prove any cause and effect.
Nevertheless, the results of the study are an interesting complement to the ongoing debate about whether napping is beneficial for heart health. Previous research has produced contradictory results. However, most of these previous studies tended to distinguish only layers and non-layers. They did not take into account the frequency of naps. Most also examined the effects of napping on fatal cardiovascular events.
The authors of this study – a team of researchers led by Dr. Nadine Hausler of the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland – wanted to see if they could answer these questions, as well as to # 39; others.
How the study was done
For this study, researchers analyzed data collected from 3,462 adult Swiss, aged 35 to 75, who were participating in a larger ongoing research project on the possible risk factors for cardiovascular disease. None of them had a history of cardiovascular disease when he entered the study.
At the beginning of the study, participants completed a comprehensive health questionnaire, which included the frequency with which they had taken a nap the week before and the length of their nap. More than half (58%) said they had not napped the week before. One in five (19%) reported taking one to two naps, while about one in ten (12%) said they had done three to five naps and a similar proportion (11%) said they had done so. from six to seven naps.
Naps lasted from five minutes to an hour or more.
Participants were followed for 7.8 years, with a median follow-up of 5.3 years. During this period, 155 fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events occurred.
Researchers analyzed data on associations between participants' nap habits and their risk of cardiovascular events. They found that people who napped once or twice a week were almost half as likely to have suffered a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure during the study period. than non-lappers.
The analysis revealed no difference in risk between non-lappers and those who reported napping more than twice a week. No association was found between the duration of the nap and the risk of cardiovascular event.
These results are valid even after researchers have adjusted the data to account for factors known to influence the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as age, hypertension, depression, and nighttime sleep duration. .
The only factors that changed the results were being over 65 years old and having severe sleep apnea. Napping once or twice a week was not associated with a lower risk of heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
The researchers point out that older people can take naps because of underlying health issues – a factor that probably weakens any role that nap on their risk of cardiovascular disease event.
Limits and implications
In addition to being observational, this study relied on participants' statements about the frequency and duration of their nap. Such reports may be inaccurate. The study also involved a relatively small number of people – a factor that may have affected the results.
Nevertheless, the results of the study are intriguing, especially since they agree with those of several previous studies. The explanation for these results is unclear, though the authors of this study hypothesize that "an occasional nap could result in a physiological compensation for a reduction in stress due to insufficient nighttime sleep and could therefore have a beneficial effect on health. [cardiovascular disease] events."
But much more research is needed before we really understand the possible role of naps in heart health.
In an editorial that accompanies the study, Drs. Yue Leng and Kristine Yaffee of the University of California at San Francisco point out that this study – as well as other research on this topic – is hampered by the lack of gold standard for the definition and the measuring naps.
"Are they planned or unplanned?" They ask. "What is the purpose of the naps? Are they taken occasionally when necessary or usually as a cultural practice? Are they taken to compensate for inadequate or insufficient nighttime sleep, or do they indicate poor underlying health?
"Until we get answers to some of these questions, the implications of napping can not be fully addressed," they point out.
IMF: You can read the study and the editorial on the Heart's website.
[ad_2]
Source link