Sunday, 19 April 2015

An afternoon nap is good for your health

It's official: sleeping is good for you. No surprises there, of course – but it's daytime sleeping (otherwise known as a catnap, a siesta, or just falling asleep at your desk with your head on your elbow, dribbling on your sleeve) that, according to new research, could actually improve the health of your heart. Researchers at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania have found that dropping off for 45 minutes to an hour helps to lower your blood pressure after a stressful event.
Many of our highest achievers have long-proclaimed the benefits of taking a brief time-out from the stresses of the day. Winston Churchill first coined the term "power nap", claiming that a daily afternoon sleep brought him the clarity of thinking he needed for wartime victory. "You must sleep some time between lunch and dinner, and no halfway measures," he insisted. Margaret Thatcher famously ordered her aides not to disturb her between 2.30 and 3.30pm, so she could snooze; Bill Clinton did the same each day at 3pm. Other illustrious nappers include Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Johannes Brahms.

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