Healthy living
Body matters
High blood pressure? Take a nap
The siesta may help explain why Mediterranean people have low levels of heart disease
Taking a siesta in the afternoon may lower your blood pressure and help keep your heart healthy– as long as you actually fall asleep, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Scientists from Liverpool John Moores University found that the benefits did not seem to occur if you just rest lying down but remain awake.
"The most significant drop in blood pressure occurs during the period of ... expectation, when the person is sinking into sleep," said Professor Greg Atkinson, co-author of the study. "This same drop in blood pressure is not observed when the subject is lying down in wakeful rest."
Having a siesta has long been linked to a healthy heart. Mediterranean countries where the practice is commonplace have a lower incidence of heart disease. A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from a heart-related problem.
For this small-scale study, researchers monitored nine healthy adults (eight men and one woman) as they took an hour’s nap in the afternoon. While they were asleep, they measured their blood pressure, heart rate, and blood vessel dilation. They then compared the results with those taken as the volunteers lay awake resting, and then again as they stood quietly.
The team found that there was a significant drop in blood pressure as the volunteers slept, but this was not true when they remained awake either in the standing position or lying down. Interestingly the greatest reduction in blood pressure occurred in the 10-minute period as the subjects began to drift off to sleep. Once the volunteers were asleep blood pressure remained relatively steady and did not fall further.
"These findings are interesting in that they show a fall in blood pressure particularly at the onset of napping during the day, similarly to when people go to sleep at night," said Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of the Blood Pressure Association.
"How far these might potentially translate into health benefits is unclear and we'd welcome more extensive research to assess the impact of afternoon naps in people with high blood pressure, measuring their blood pressure throughout the day."
About 16 million people in the UK have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease and stroke and as people with normal blood pressure.
Useful articles
- Sleep matters: how to get the rest you need
- Daytime naps boost memory
- Your blood pressure
- Nuts, fish and seeds for lower blood pressure
- Mediterranean diet lowers heart disease risk
Useful website
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
