Are YOU a holiday nap? It may increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes, a Harvard study suggests
Whether it’s free-flowing alcohol or endless food, we’re all guilty of overeating on vacation.
Now it seems that siestas can be added to the list of unhealthy holiday habits unless you sleep for 30 minutes or less.
Those who take longer siestas are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure and diabetes, according to new research from Harvard.
Experts have found that a 30-minute nap a day can increase the risk of an irregular heartbeat
Researchers examined data from 3,275 adults from the Spanish region of Murcia.
They collected details about their naps and other lifestyle factors, resulting in categories of no siesta, shorter than 30 minutes, and longer than 30 minutes.
They found that people who took a long siesta had a higher body mass index and were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome – a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity – than those who took short or no naps.
This puts people at greater risk of coronary complications, such as heart attack and stroke.
However, those who had “power naps” showed no signs of increased risk, according to findings published in the journal Obesity.
The researchers found that long siestas were linked to later evening meals and bedtimes, as well as higher caloric intake at lunchtime and smoking.
They acknowledged that it was not yet known whether siestas themselves were responsible with a previous study on UK patients finding that obesity itself could cause naps.
According to the latest official estimates, around 59 per cent of women and almost 69 per cent of men in the UK are now overweight or obese.
Further research is needed to examine whether a short siesta is more beneficial than a long one, particularly for individuals with habits such as having delayed meal and sleep schedules, or for those who smoke, they said.
Frank Scheer, of Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: ‘This study shows the importance of taking siesta length into account and raises the question of whether short naps can provide unique benefits.
‘Many institutions are realizing the benefits of short naps, especially for labor productivity, but also increasingly for general health.
“If future studies further substantiate the benefits of shorter siestas, I think that could be the driving force behind discovering optimal nap length, and a cultural shift in recognition of the long-term health effects and productivity gains that can accrue from these lifestyle behaviors.” .’