Study Shows Regular Napping Is a Risk Factor for Stroke

A study published in the journal Hypertension on July 25 finds that daytime napping on a regular basis is associated with higher risks for high blood pressure and stroke.
To conduct the study, researchers from China used a napping frequency survey and information from UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource, to study 360,000 participants aged 40-69 who lived in the U.K. between 2006 and 2010.
The study finds that people who napped were 12% more likely to develop high blood pressure and 24% more likely to develop a stroke when compared with people who reported never taking a nap.
Most of the regular nappers were men, had lower education and income levels, experienced insomnia, snoring, and reported smoking cigarettes and drinking daily.
Participants under 60 had a 20% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared with those who never napped, and after the age of 60 regular napping was associated with 10% higher risk of high blood pressure compared with those who never nap.
Researchers indicate that while taking a nap in itself is not harmful, that people who do take naps may do so because of poor sleep at night, which leads to poorer health outcomes.
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