New Alert on Potential Health Risks of Napping during the Daytime

Sometimes it’s tempting to take an afternoon nap to get through the day.

But as a warning to nappers, experts have found that 30 minutes of sleep each day can increase the risk of irregular heartbeats. Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heartbeat.

It affects more than 40 million people worldwide, and the risk of stroke in patients is five times higher than that of their peers.

To find out if daytime naps might be linked to the condition, the researchers analyzed data from more than 20,000 people who didn’t have an irregular heartbeat.

Participants filled out a questionnaire every two years and were divided into three groups based on their average daytime sleep duration – no, less than 30 minutes or 30 minutes or more. Compared to those who do not get enough sleep during the day, those who sleep 30 or more minutes a day are almost twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation.

Meanwhile, compared to short naps, the risk was not as high for those who avoided daytime naps.

Further analysis showed that the ideal sleep time was between 15 and 30 minutes, as these people had a 56% lower risk of developing an irregular heartbeat than those who slept half an hour or more.

Dr Diaz Gutiérrez, from the Juan Ramon Jiménez University Hospital in Spain, said: “Previous research has shown that sleep patterns may play a role in the development of atrial fibrillation, but to our knowledge, this was the first study to analyze the relationship between daytime sleep and risk Our research indicates that naps should be limited to less than 30 minutes, and the results indicate that the optimal nap time is between 15 and 30 minutes.

He said there are several possible explanations for the relationship between daytime sleep and heart health. For example, prolonged daytime naps can disrupt the body’s internal clock, leading to shorter nighttime sleep, more frequent nighttime awakenings, and decreased physical activity.

Meanwhile, short naps during the day can improve our body clock, lower blood pressure levels, and reduce stress.

He added: “People who suffer from disturbed nighttime sleep should not rely on daytime sleep to catch up.”

Source: Daily Mail