the truth about naps: is a wee snooze healthy?

one recent study found that naps lasting longer than 60 minutes were associated with 30 per cent higher risk of all-cause death and a 34 per cent increase in the likelihood of cardiovascular disease compared to no napping. that research looked at more than 300,000 participants from more than 20 different studies, 40 per cent of whom said they napped regularly.

“a common view is that napping improves performance and counteracts the negative consequences of ‘sleep debt,'” study author, zhe pan, told forbes . “our study challenges these widely held opinions.”

other studies have found links between long naps and diabetes , stroke , obesity, depression and anxiety. sleepiness during the day, and napping to relieve it, can also be a sign of an underlying health problem such as parkinson’s disease . these risk factors appear to be more present in older people who generally get less sleep at night than younger people.

catnaps are also linked to increased levels of positivity and ability to handle frustration , boosted energy levels and even enhanced learning capabilities . the caveat though. is that you must keep them short. a little ‘power nap’ can unlock those benefits, and could even be good for your heart.

keeping your naps short also helps prevent against sleep inertia, or that feeling of grogginess and disorientation you may experience immediately after waking up. if you let your nap run a little longer, and fall into a deeper sleep, those sleep inertia symptoms tend to be more severe. there is also evidence that longer and more frequent naps can affect your sleep at night, particularly for people with insomnia, or those who have trouble sleeping in general.

sleep is, of course, a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle as insufficient zzz’s can lead to chronic stress and poor mental health. and yet, it is something many canadians struggle with. according to the government of canada ,  half of canadians have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, while one in five adults don’t find their sleep refreshing.

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