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rude awakening: frequent naps linked to poorer heart health

it doesn't mean naps are dangerous — but a tendency to sleep during the day could indicate sleep problems.

by dave yasvinski

jul 25 2022
read time 3 minute read
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frequent naps may be linked to poor heart health
study finds that usual-nappers under the age of 60 had a 20 per cent elevated risk of high blood pressure compared to never-nappers. getty
a new study has some eye-opening news for fans of the afternoon slumber, finding that those who regularly drift off during daytime hours may face an elevated risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

according to the research, published in the journal hypertension , the causal relationship does not mean that napping is dangerous in and of itself, but that the tendency to sleep during the day is an indicator of poor sleep patterns, which are associated with a number of health issues. the study is the first to combine observational analysis over an extended period of time with mendelian randomization, a method of genetic risk validation, to investigate the relationship.

“these results are especially interesting since millions of people might enjoy a regular or even daily nap,” said e wang , corresponding author of the study and a professor and chair of the department of anesthesiology at xiangya hospital central south university in china.

the team relied on health information from the uk biobank, a large database containing the genetic, lifestyle and health data of more than 500,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69. after excluding participants who had already experienced a stroke or high blood pressure prior to the study, researchers were left with around 360,000 subjects. this group was then divided into three subgroups according to their self-reported frequency of napping: never/rarely, sometimes or usually.

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compared to subjects who never or sometimes napped, researchers found that a higher percentage of usual-nappers were men with lower education and income levels who were also more likely to report smoking cigarettes, daily drinking, insomnia, snoring and being a night owl. compared to never-nappers, usual nappers had a 12 per cent higher likelihood of developing high blood pressure and a 24 per cent greater risk of suffering a stroke.
usual-nappers under the age of 60 had a 20 per cent elevated risk of high blood pressure compared to never-nappers; after the age of 60, this number dropped to 10 per cent.
using mendelian randomization, researchers discovered that if napping frequency increased by a single category (from never to sometimes or sometimes to usually), the risk of high blood pressure increased by 40 per cent. greater napper frequency was found to be related to the genetic propensity for the risk of high blood pressure.
“this may be because, although taking a nap itself is not harmful, many people who take naps may do so because of poor sleep at night. poor sleep at night is associated with poorer health, and naps are not enough to make up for that,” said michael a. grandner, a sleep expert and co-author of the american heart association’s new life’s essential 8 cardiovascular health score. “this study echoes other findings that generally show that taking more naps seems to reflect increased risk for problems with heart health and other issues.”
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there were a few limitations to the research, notably that researchers only collected data on nap frequency, not duration, and that this data was self-reported and, therefore, non-quantifiable. as most subjects were of european ancestry and middle-aged or elderly, the results may not be generalizable to other populations. researchers were also unable to discover the biological mechanism underlying the relationship between daytime napping and heart health.
 
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.
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