Afternoon naps cut risk of dying from heart attack by up to 64%

Researchers who examined more than 23,000 men and women in Greece found that the those who took a midday nap of 30 minutes or more at least three times a week had 37 per cent less risk of heart-related death, over a period of about six years, than those who did not nap.

And among working men the health benefits appeared even more profound, with the chance of death from coronary heart disease some 64 per cent lower.

The researchers suggested taking a siesta might have a "stress-releasing" effect which was particularly profound for those in hectic jobs.

Professor Dimitrios Trichopoulos, of Harvard School of Public Health in the United States, said: "The public-health message is clear - if you can take a midday nap, do so.

"If you have a sofa in your office, if you can relax, do it."

The idea of taking a power nap during the working day has been gaining popularity recently:

• France's health minister proposed siestas should become official government policy, with employees encouraged to have a sleep in special "quiet rooms";

• In Japan, sleep salons have been set up to provide workers with a 20-30 minute nap;

• And in the UK, corporate giant Procter & Gamble and advertising agency Leo Burnett have installed egg-shaped "snooze-pods" for executive power-napping.

Former prime minister Winston Churchill was an early champion of the idea, once advising: "You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner. Take off your clothes and go to bed. No half measures."

The study at Harvard and Athens Universities, reported in the Archive of Internal Medicine yesterday, looked at the health records of 23,681 people aged 20 to 86 with no history of heart disease.

It found that those who took siestas of any frequency and duration were 34 per cent less likely than others to die from heart disease, while "systematic nappers" - who rested 30 minutes or more at least three times per week - had a 37 per cent lower risk.

Among working men who took siestas with any regularity, the number of heart-disease related deaths fell by more than 60 per cent.

The scientists reported: "Among healthy adults, siestas may reduce coronary mortality, possibly on account of stress- releasing consequences.

"The association was striking when the analysis was restricted to men who were working at enrolment [in the study], whereas it was weaker and not significant among men who were not working - largely retirees.

"Afternoon siesta in a healthy individual may act as a stress- releasing habit and there is considerable evidence that stress has both short and long-term adverse effects on mortality from coronary heart disease."

Countries where siestas are common also tend to be those with low rates of heart-disease death, often attributed to a healthy Mediterranean diet.

However, Professor Jim Thorne, of Loughborough University's sleep research centre, said prolonged afternoon sleep was not a good idea for people in Britain.

And he suggested taking a siesta in Greece was perhaps a symptom of a less-stressed life rather than the cause of one.

"It may not be a question of a siesta improving your life, but if you go without one that's an indicator of the stresses and strains you are under," he said.

Prof Thorne, author of Sleepfaring: a Journey Through the Science of Sleep, said anyone feeling sleepy during the day because of a bad night's sleep might benefit from a 15-minute power nap, but any longer would leave them groggy in the afternoon.

He added: "If staff have arduous working hours - 12 or 14-hour days - companies should provide napping facilities."

CHANGING WORK HABITS

MODERN working schedules and the rise of the air-conditioned office have led to a decline in siesta-taking across the Mediterranean.

But in Spain people still take a 30-40-minute afternoon nap when on holiday, while the working day also tends to include a two-hour lunch where people relax and take their time over a meal.

In Italy, the riposo is generally taken in the hotter southern half of the country. Many shops and businesses close at about 1:30pm and re-open at about 4pm. People will have lunch followed by a nap.

In places such as Naples, Salerno and Bari, a distinctive "hush" falls over the streets as traffic levels drop noticeably, coming back to life in the late afternoon.

In Greece, the siesta was firmly ingrained in the culture until the country became part of the European Union in 1981. Since then, the 9-5 working day has become more common, but small, particularly family businesses maintain the midday nap.

Nightlife also starts later. Whereas most people in Britain and other northern countries go out for a meal at 7pm or 8pm, in Greece and other siesta countries, social events tend to start closer to 10pm or 11pm.