Naps Might Not Be So Good for You After All
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BONNINSTUDIO/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — If you take a regular nap, you may be taking your life in your hands. Seriously.
Researchers at Cambridge University tracked the sleep habits of about 16,000 men and women in their 90s over 13 years. During that time, about 3,000 of the participants died.
What the researchers say they learned was that compared to non-nappers the risk of premature death went up 14 percent among those who napped less than an hour a day and rose by 32 percent when people took an afternoon siesta lasting more than 60 minutes.
The study points out that napping can cause inflammation in the body, leading to certain lung diseases, including bronchitis, emphysema and pneumonia.
However, the researchers also admit that perhaps “napping might be an early sign of system dis-regulation and a marker of future health problems.” In other words, people might nap more because they’re already ill.
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