Study Says That Taking Afternoon Naps for More Than an Hour Could’ve Health Complications

By
Ashley Seek
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Last Updated on 2021-01-27 , 7:23 pm

I love to sleep.

After a long day, letting yourself sink into the fluffiness of your sheets is one of the best feelings ever.

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Or maybe you’re the kind of person who likes sleeping less at night and taking midday naps.

If you’re an afternoon-naps person though, we may have some bad news for you today.

Long Naps Cause Health Problems

It also depends on how long you’re napping for.

According to The Straits Times, Chinese researchers have found that daytime naps longer than 60 minutes may have adverse effects.

And by that, we mean the risk of heart disease and death.

My weekend gaming routine suddenly seems…scary.

Researchers from Guangzhou Medical University analysed more than 313,000 participants from over 20 studies to examine the link between napping and potential health risks.

39 per cent of them took naps.

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The overall results showed that people who regularly napped for more than 60 minutes each day had a 34 per cent higher chance of developing cardiovascular disease.

Generally, they all had a 30 per cent higher chance of death.

While scary, the solution seems easy, right? Just set your alarm right and take shorter naps.

Well…not really.

Apparently, naps of most lengths were linked with a 19 per cent increased risk of death according to the study.

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It’s even more noticeable for women and older people, with 22 per cent higher risk of death for the former and 17 per cent for the latter.

Other research also connected napping with high blood pressure, diabetes, and poor overall physical health.

There Are Still Upsides

So right now you might be thinking this:

Still, there are positives to napping albeit in shorter bursts.

The writer is very relieved to read and type this.

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According to a study, naps around 30 to 45 minutes may even improve your heart rate if you’re not getting enough nighttime sleep.

In fact, napping earlier in the afternoon may actually help improve your mood and make you more alert.

Adversely, napping later in the day could mess up your sleep schedule at night too.

Napping in an area without much sound or distraction would help improve your overall nap quality.

Dr Zhe Pan of Guangzhou Medical University, China, however, states that if you didn’t already have a day napping habit, there’s no evidence that you should start.

Most importantly, if you suddenly need to constantly nap without reason, double-checking with a doctor is good to see if you have a sleep disorder.

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Featured Image: May_Chanikran / Shutterstock.com

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Ashley Seek
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