Feeling tired? We have the answer for you! Take a nap and it will improve your blood pressure.
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A new study out of Greece has shown that a mid-afternoon nap can do you a world of good.
Dr Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion General Hospital in Voula, Greece said in an American College of Cardiology (ACC) statement: "A midday sleep appears to lower blood pressure levels at the same magnitude as other lifestyle changes."
For every hour that you nap your blood pressure drops (3mm Hg-whatever that is...) the researchers found.
The data was collected from 212 people. A quarter of the participants smoked and/or had type two diabetes and the average age was 62. The study compared the blood pressure of people who napped in the middle of the day compared to people who didn't.
Researchers accounted for the consumption of alcohol, coffee and salt, participants' physical activities, age, gender and medications.
Dr Kallistratos take home message was one worth noting.
"We obviously don't want to encourage people to sleep for hours on end during the day, but they shouldn't feel guilty if they take a short nap, given the potential health benefits," she said.
Did you hear that: "THEY SHOULDN'T FEEL GUILTY IF THEY CAN TAKE A SHORT NAP".
BRB: about to find out how long a short nap is. See you in an hour!
