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.
Alexa can be reached at [email protected]
