Siestas May Help Reduce Death Caused by Heart Disease

Siestas are ingrained into European culture and have been an established fact for a very long time. Travel around Continental Europe, particularly during summertime, and you will notice that lunchtime is a very quiet time. Shops shut up and employees go home for a nap during the hottest part of the day. This may seem very strange to you, if you are used to the convenience of visiting shops throughout the day. How can taking a siesta help you? Are there any long term health benefits?

According to a study that was carried out over six years in Greece, those who took a siesta three times a week or more had a 37% lower risk of dying from a heart related disease. When carrying out this research, factors such as age and physical activity were also taken into account. Taking a nap seemed to help people to relax and to also reduce their stress levels. The results showed that those taking part in the research had lower levels of heart disease, but these findings did not prove conclusive, as studies showed a mixture of different results. In the Greek study, 23,681 men and women between the ages of 20 and 86 participated. These subjects were in good health and did not have a history of heart disease. As part of the study, participants were questioned about how often they took siestas, as well as questions about their diet and exercise routines. Duration also played a part, as those who took naps of more than 30 minutes three times a week had a slightly increased protection against heart disease.The results showed that compared to those people who took siestas more than three times a week and for longer periods, people who took siestas just three times a week had a 34% lower risk of dying from heart disease. They also had a greater chance of survival from heart disease than those who did not take siestas at all.

The study went on to suggest that working men received particular health benefits from taking midday siestas. Among those who admitted to taking midday siestas, there was a 64% reduced risk of heart disease, compared with 36% among men who were not employed. It was not possible to compare female deaths, as there was not a significant number to compare figures. The reason why there seems to be such a large difference in results between working and non-working men is that siestas help to reduce stress levels, which would account for the difference in results. The lead researcher Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos, from the Harvard School of Public Health, stated: "In countries where mortality from coronary diseases is low, siesta is quite prevalent. This study has four advantages - it's large, prospective, limited to healthy people and we have been very careful to control for physical activity". The benefits of taking a siesta can be easily monitored by other trials as a way of reducing heart disease because it does not have any side effects and does not require medication. The one factor that was important when conducting this study though, was to ensure people did not reduce the amount of physical activity that they did for the remainder of the day.

In addition to the results cited by Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos, June Davison, who works as a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "These interesting findings identify that having a siesta is associated with a reduced risk of dying from a heart problem, particularly in working men. Having a nap in the middle of the day may help people to unwind and relax - which is important for our overall health". She went on to state that sleep alone will not reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease, which is why she pointed out the importance of maintaining a regular routine of physical activity. Combined with a siesta, physical activity can also help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Tourists who travel to Europe are repeatedly reminded of the need to blend in and to learn as much about the culture as possible. One way of doing this is by taking a siesta. It will really come in handy! In the summertime, much of Europe can become baking hot. For example, in 2003, 27,000 people died in Europe from the heatwave that struck the continent. Aside from the protection against heart disease, taking a siesta can help invigorate and refresh you after spending a morning in the hot summer sun.

Stress affects people in many different ways and taking a siesta alone will not alleviate that. Rather than trying healthy methods of coping with stress, those who are under a great deal of stress may attempt to cope with it through an unhealthy approach to life. This might involve taking up smoking, eating a bad diet, excessive alcohol consumption, and not getting enough physical exercise. All these factors combined can increase a person's risk of dying from heart disease. That would negate the health benefits that are provided from taking a siesta.

Although America has not adopted the European approach by offering employees the opportunity to take a siesta, there are ways in which you can still enjoy a siesta without going home for two hours at lunchtime. Try taking a nap when you get home from work or at the weekend. You will be glad you did and you will feel more refreshed.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6354855.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4145570.stm