Researchers are looking at the effects of naps and as it turns out, your midday snooze may not be as beneficial as you think.
In a new study, scientists discovered that individuals who engage in lengthy naps -- 30 minutes or longer -- tend to have higher body mass indexes and a greater likelihood of having metabolic syndrome compared to those who do not take long naps.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital evaluated the link between naps, their duration, and obesity and metabolic syndrome. The results, published in the journal Obesity, indicate that those who napped for 30 minutes or longer were more likely to have a higher body mass index, higher blood pressure, and a cluster of other conditions associated with heart disease and diabetes compared to those who didn't nap.
Those who took "power naps" did not have the increased risk for obesity and metabolic alterations, the study noted. Short nap-takers were also less likely to have elevated systolic blood pressure than those who took no naps.
"Not all siestas are the same," senior author Marta Garaulet, Ph.D., said in a statement. "The length of time, position of sleep, and other specific factors can affect the health outcomes of a nap."
The researchers examined data from 3,275 adults in a Mediterranean population, specifically people from the Spanish region of Murcia where siestas are common practice. Participants were divided into two categories: long siestas, those who napped for 30 minutes or longer, and no siestas, those who napped shorter than 30 minutes.
The research team found that long siesta-takers had a higher body mass index and were more likely to have metabolic syndrome than those who did not take siestas. Additionally, compared with the no-siesta group, the long siesta group had higher values of waist circumference, fasting glucose levels, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure.
The researchers found that long siestas were associated with later nightly sleep timing and food timing, with increased energy intake at lunch and cigarette smoking, and with the location of siestas (a bed vs. a sofa), which may explain the higher risks associated with longer duration siestas.
The authors say the study results call for future research to investigate whether a short siesta is advantageous over a long one, particularly for individuals with habits such as having delayed meals and sleep schedules, or for those who smoke.
"This study shows the importance of considering siesta length and raises the question whether short naps may offer unique benefits. Many institutions are realizing the benefits of short naps, mostly for work productivity, but also increasingly for general health," said co-author Frank Scheer, PhD. "If future studies further substantiate the advantages of shorter siestas, I think that that could be the driving force behind the uncovering of optimal nap durations, and a cultural shift in the recognition of the long-term health effects and productivity increases that can amount from this lifestyle behavior."
The researchers pointed out that this was an observational study, and it's possible that some factors may be a consequence of obesity and not siestas per se.
Nonetheless, obesity is a growing health concern affecting over one billion people around the world. Fat accumulation in the body is connected to how food is digested during metabolic processes. Understanding how lifestyle choices, such as taking siestas, affect these metabolic mechanisms could help researchers learn how habits influence health.
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