New study finds naps are good for your health and lower blood pressure - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life A new study has found that naps are actually good for your health By You Magazine - March 11, 2019 If you’ve always felt a little guilty about taking a short snooze during the day, this news may make you feel better; a new study has found that naps can actually be good for your health. Research by Asklepieion General Hospital in Voula, Greece, suggests that taking a sleep during the day can actually lower blood pressure and have a similar effect on blood pressure levels as taking medication or cutting down on salt and alcohol. Rex Features ‘Midday sleep appears to lower blood pressure levels at the same magnitude as other lifestyle changes,’ found Dr. Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion General Hospital in Voula, Greece. The study used 212 participants, all of whom had high blood pressure. Blood pressure monitors were attached to each participant, and their readings were taken throughout the day. Those who napped for one hour per day experienced an average drop of 3mm Hg in blood pressure, compared to those who did not nap. On average, researchers found that taking a nap can reduce overall blood pressure by 5 mm Hg. In comparison, taking a low-dose blood pressure drug lowers your level an average of 5 to 7 mm Hg. Rex Features So what exactly do these numbers mean? While they sound insignificant, a drop of 5 to 7 mm Hg can actually drastically improve health: ‘These findings are important because a drop in blood pressure as small as 2 mm Hg can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack by up to 10 percent,’ explained Dr. Kallistratos. From this study, the researchers came to the conclusion that taking a nap would be advisable if you suffer from high blood pressure. ‘Based on our findings, if someone has the luxury to take a nap during the day, it may also have benefits for high blood pressure,’ he added. It’s official: naps are back on the table again. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved