On-the-job naps might cut heart risk

[ZeoBandit]

On-the-job naps might cut heart risk
POSTED: 12:00 p.m. EST, February 12, 2007
Story Highlights
• Thrice-weekly nappers had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart ailments
• Most in study were in their 50s; strongest evidence was in working men
• Heart benefits may come from reducing stress, researchers theorize

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- New research on napping provides the perfect excuse for office slackers, finding that a little midday snooze seems to reduce risks for fatal heart problems, especially among men.

In the largest study to date on the health effects of napping, researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped at least three times weekly for about half an hour had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap.

Most participants were in their 50s, and the strongest evidence was in working men, according to the study, which appears in Monday's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers said naps might benefit the heart by reducing stress, and jobs are a common source of stress.

It is likely that women reap similar benefits from napping, but not enough of them died during the study to be sure, said Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, the study's senior author and a researcher at Harvard University and the University of Athens Medical School.

Heart problems killed 48 women who were studied, six of them working women, compared with 85 men, including 28 working men.

A daytime siesta has long been part of many cultures, especially those in warmer climates. Mediterranean-style eating habits featuring fruits, vegetables, beans and olive oil have been credited with contributing to relatively low rates of heart disease in those countries, but the researchers wanted to see if napping also plays a role.

"My advice is if you can (nap), do it. If you have a sofa in your office, if you can relax, do it," Trichopoulos said.

Exactly how stress is related to heart disease is uncertain. Some researchers think it might be directly involved, through unhealthy effects of stress hormones, or indirectly by causing people to exercise less, overeat or smoke.

The researchers in the latest study factored in diet, exercise, smoking and other habits that affect the heart but still found napping seemed to help.

Previous studies have had conflicting results. Some suggested napping might increase risk of death, but those mostly involved elderly people whose daytime sleepiness reflected poor health, Trichopoulos said.

His research team studied a broader range of people, ages 20 to 86, who were generally healthy when the study began.

Still, it is possible that study participants who napped "are just people who take better care of themselves," which could also benefit the heart, said Dr. Marvin Wooten, a sleep specialist at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee.

"The guy ... who doesn't take time out for a siesta in their culture is probably the guy who is extremely driven and under a lot of pressure," which could increase heart risks, he said.

Siestas are not ingrained in U.S. culture, and napping usually is equated with laziness in the high-charging corporate world, said Bill Anthony, a Boston University psychologist and co-author of "The Art of Napping at Work."

Still, some offices allow on-the-job naps, and many workers say it makes them more, not less, productive.

Yarde Metals, a metals distributing firm, built a nap room at its Southington, Connecticut, headquarters as part of an employee wellness program. With two leather sofas, fluffy pillows, soft lighting and an alarm clock, it is the perfect place for a quick snooze, engineer Mark Ekenbarger said.

Ekenbarger, 56, has an enlarged heart artery and said he frequently takes half-hour naps on the advice of his doctor to reduce stress.

"It really does energize me for the rest of the day," Ekenbarger said.

"It would be really encouraging if employers across the country really embraced that philosophy that napping is a good thing. It makes a big difference in my life."

[hatchetforce]

[ZeoBandit]

Yep. i might go kick back and snooze for an hour or so. See ya'll later!

[jimmy812]

How do I explain this to my boss?

[Down In Flames]

How do I explain this to my boss?

Well, first you have to wake him up.

*ba-dum-bum*

[smithjc]

I knew it. I knew it.

Well time to close my door.

[darthadv]

my boss sometimes feels i'm asleep with my opens... does that count?

[muffdiver]

I nap all the time....

[WinterlessIceness]

Naps only give me a headache.

[onefootoutthedoor]

Does anyone else here find it odd that both the author of the article and ZeoHalen are from Chi-town?

[vcooper3]

I think I'll print out that article and take it to work tomorrow. That will be my excuse for taking a nap.

[Viking]

If you do your research, you'll find that the "Overworked" employees in Japan have more vacation time than the average U. S. employee. No wonder we need to take fucking naps at work!

[WinterlessIceness]

Gah, fuck overworked employees in Japan. In fact, fuck any employees in Japan for that matter! Along with unemployeed ones too

[ZeoBandit]

Does anyone else here find it odd that both the author of the article and ZeoHalen are from Chi-town?

I have a secret identity as an author who write articles supporting slackers!

[Viking]

During peak season at Amazon, I used to take a quick nap during last break. We used these big rolls of bubble wrap at the time, and I would tear off about a 6-7 foot chunk of it, roll up one end like a pillow and Voila! Nap time. It made a big difference when we were doing the 10 hour days, 6 days a week thing before Christmas.