Naps Beneficial to the Heart
As a college student everyone knows of the stress of classes and pulling an all-nighter. Having done this myself, I know the need for a nap during the midday hours during a hectic week. Many times I find myself falling asleep on the couch or even in class just to get a couple of extra ZZZ’s . According to a study in the journal, Archives of Internal Medicine, taking a midday nap is beneficial to the heart. Naps help to the relieve stress, which can lead to many health problems. In the United States heart disease is the leading killer among males, and according to this study, taking a 30 minute nap when needed can alleviate this as the main killer among males.
From what I was told most of my life taking a nap less than 20 minutes was beneficial because one would wake up rejuvenated, and taking a nap any longer than that one would wake up groggy and more tired than before, but according to this new study, a nap of around a half hour alleviates the stress of everyday life, and can actually add years onto ones life.
After a six year study, 34 percent of men who took naps were less likely to die from heart disease than non-nappers which is a large number. I can related to this, as I’m sure a lot of people can because, according to the study 64 percent of working men who do take a midday nap have a lower risk of heart related death compared to working men who do not have a midday shuteye ritual. This is not saying that women do not have it as hard, but the study showed that only around six percent of women died from heart disease during the study so a complete analysis couldn’t be run on those numbers.
As an avid napper myself, I would recommend a 15-30 minute nap a day. A lot of times, especially during finals weeks, I feel like I don’t have the time to nap, but according to this study, it could end up saving you as stress is relieved and ones mind will probably be clearer after a quick shut eye.
Posted by - Sully
posted by PWH @ 8:41 PM
21 comments
21 Comments:
I liked this post because I myself, having a very heavy course load, enjoy taking naps throughout the week. I was just curious about how in fact, biologically, does napping help reduce heart disease.
I agree with you on the fact about taking a nap any longer than 30 minutes makes you feel groggy. Great post, this sheds a new light on us avid nappers.
I never understood that myth about feeling groggy after glorious half-hour naps. With the lethal consequences of heart disease in the US, it seems like our society could use any stress relief we can find! It's amazing that by simply choosing to take naps, 34 percent of the men were less likely to die from heart disease. I hope that women equally benefit! With the apparent benefit of napping, I wonder how crucial our nightly sleep is to a healthy heart. It would be really interesting to see more studies on the benefits of our nightly shut-eye. How much sleep did the men in the study get every night? Were these guys sleep deprived, or just taking a break?
I think your ideas could be more clearly conveyed if you broke up some of the long sentences that are presently strung together by commas. Anyway, very interesting topic, and you make its importance and connection with the typical college student very clear. Maybe now I'll feel a little less guilty about putting some time in for that quick nap.
ohearnt6
The article is pretty interesting since it talks about how a 15-30 minute nap can help relieve stress and lower heart disease. Unfortunately you are correct about how people feel they don't have time to take a short nap during the day because of time constraints. I also believe that a short nap can be beneficial in the long run. I do have a few questions about the study. Do you know if the participants had a full night of sleep (7-8 hours is the average I think) prior to taking naps during the day? It has been known people feel stressed and irritable if they didn't have enough sleep. If they have had a full night's sleep, would they have been less stressed because they didn't lack sleep?
Sincerely,
Carrie Ng
ngc3
A like to you, being a college student it seems as though I find myself taking those random 2:00pm naps; this most likely being from the nights of long study sessions or the hours of readings that some how you just leave till the last minute. When I read your blog I find myself thinking, "I knew that naps were important."
However, a couple questions arise. First, why is it that a 30 minute nap is more beneficial then say an hour nap? I know in my situation I tend to take naps for usually an hour or so and most of the time I do wake up groggy and disorientated, why?
My questions don't have to be answered but this article raises awareness to many people especially us college students. With the amount of work were handed it seems as though a task to make it through our classes without shutting an eye. Apparently maybe that next 30 minute break between classes should be spent taking a life saving nap.
Very interesting blog. That is the first I have heard of naps decreasing risk of heart disease. Being a kinesiology major I agree that it makes sense on a biological level. Your heart rate will decrees during sleep/rest so if you are stressed out a nap would surely have a calming response.
massec6
Very interesting blog. That is the first I have heard of naps decreasing risk of heart disease. Being a kinesiology major I agree that it makes sense on a biological level. Your heart rate will decrees during sleep/rest so if you are stressed out a nap would surely have a calming response.
massec6
It is not common knowledge that napping has benefits however the question is when does one find the time to nap for thirty minutes when you could for example be writing comments about a blog article? another interesting thing about this article is how nappin reduces heart diseases. I doubt this fact because there so many compounding variables that would play into reducong heart disease.
I found this very interesting and informative. I am always taking naps in the free time that i have between classes and it is good to know that i am not just wasting time, but doing something that is good for me. I always feel better after taking a nap and now i just have one more excuse to nap more often.
smithm6
In the beginning of the blog you say that naps help to relieve stress. Is this only if the person feels the nap is relieving them of stress? Or does the actual amount of sleep directly result in a loss of stress. You mentioned that long naps can cause one to wake up groggy. I definitely agree. I try not to take naps because I hate waking up feeling groggy. It seems that a 20 minute nap wouldn’t do anything though in terms of making me feel less sleepy. I must admit I’ve never actually tried so maybe it would work. How did the study determine that the 34% of men who took naps were less likely to die from heart disease then non nappers? Also I’m pretty sure that heart disease is the biggest growing problem in women, you kept mentioning that it wasn’t really an issue for women. http://familydoctor.org/287.xml
Overall I enjoyed reading this blog! It was easy to understand and interesting.
Posted by KMellman
I can completely agree that taking a nap is completely necessary to pick up on those extra needed ZZZ's. I find, that when I take a nap, 30 minutes is never sufficient, and when I take a longer one, I have trouble falling asleep that night. Ironically, I begin to casue a sleeping problem for myself.
Now, whenever I get critiqued for napping, I will just admit, that I was trying to add some extra years to my life, and relieve stress.
Katie
I am also an avid nap taker and trully believe that it helps me get through a tough week. Now after hearing that naps are beneficial to my heart I plan on taking naps everyday! It really does make sense that our hearts benefit from napping, we are giving ourselves a break from a stressful day and I know alot of times I do not get enough sleep at night. After I take a nap I feel more refreshed and ready to do what i must.
It is good to hear that naps are beneficial to the heart. I think that will get my mom off my back now about my napping habits during those nice summer days when I am working so much. I am wondering if in reachering your article if you found why the naps did not proove as beneficial for women? I am sure that naps could not hurt for us as well but I was wondering if there were any scientific ideas about why that may be?
I found this post interesting. I agree that taking a 30 minute nap really helps to rejuvenate yourself. Now I'm glad to find out that a nap is actually beneficial to my health.
Good post now I know that when I take a nap I'm not just being lazy I actually helping myself.
Posted by: barkley519
I happen to like this post alot because I too nap once a day. I believe that napping is essential to my day, and I was happy to hear that in turn it could help me to live longer also. I never knew that a 15-30 minute nap could benefit me in the long run. although I am not a male I believe that if it could hep relieve stress in males, it must be likewise in females as well. at least now I will feel good about stopping my work and taking a nap during the day. Interesting post, thanks for the info.
I happen to like this post alot because I too nap once a day. I believe that napping is essential to my day, and I was happy to hear that in turn it could help me to live longer also. I never knew that a 15-30 minute nap could benefit me in the long run. although I am not a male I believe that if it could hep relieve stress in males, it must be likewise in females as well. at least now I will feel good about stopping my work and taking a nap during the day. Interesting post, thanks for the info.
emily myette 22078990- myettee6
The post has some grammatical errors such as forgetting some words or redundancy. I would also like some more information on how they conducted this study or did they just take statistical data that was already out there?
Overall I liked this post because of how easy it is to relate to the topic and that it says, "hey, it's okay to nap a little."
I always try to stop myself from napping because I think I'll be unproductive and waste precious time so I haven't napped for awhile, but this semester I find myself taking periodic shorter naps and feel myself waking up refreshed and recharged. Instead of 2 hr naps they are 1hr. It is still more than that recommended half hour, but your post confirms that this nap could be life saving and lower my stress levels.
----happyfeet
I am person who loves to nap, I constantly find myself just lying in bed for a wuick nap before my next class. I'm glad to know that know this may actually benefit me rather than just make me think that I am lazy. I think it would nice to see more information regarding the napping of females, so hopefully more studies will be done on this particular topic.
I found this post to be very informative, especially to one such as myself who feels the need to nap just make it through the day. Taking 18 credits and working 10 hours per week leaves me exhausted to say the least and at any opportunity available, you can find me stretched out napping on my futon. I found it very interesting that napping can help reduce the risk of heart disease . Heart disease is very common on my mother's side of the family. Though true that you do feel much more tired and groggy when you take a nap longer than 30 minutes, do these extended periods of rest help or hurt your heart in any way? Do longer naps have any effects on the way our body functions? I liked this post very much, thanks!
litanom6
That is a really interesting article. It is interesting to think that taking a nap is actually good for you. I know I've been told my whole life that taking a nap is being lazy. I was wondering why it is that a nap longer than 30 minutes makes you groggy though. Although I am not an avid napper, I feel like I will possibly begin this trend.
Napping, a simple act that can actually save your life, especially if you are male. This blog was intriguing from the start, unbelieveable but interesting none the less. I enjoy reading about certain everyday remedies that are beneficial in the long run. Cracking your knuckles may actually be good for you, and, drinking coffee may be preventative of diabetes. The subject matter goes with the saying "reality is stranger than fiction" because those who did not read your article may perceive napping as a procrastination activity or bad for your brain or something of that sort. However, with the power of biology and science in general, there are pleasures in life that one can unguiltily indulge in. Good topic choice!
This post really interested me because I've always wondered if napping was really beneficial. I used to see it as a waste of time, because I always woke up tired. Usually exercise does the trick for me and gets the blood flowing.
It would be interesting to see how exercise compares to napping in how it affects stress. Would working out for an hour rather than napping accomplish the same feat?
Also, I wonder how much REM sleep is actually achieved during a nap. Is it simply a rest for tired muscles or something better?
Either way, I really liked this post. Nice job.
Post a Comment
<< Home