With the ever-increasing rate of American obesity, heart disease is growing as a real health issue. As the leading cause of death in America, it’s scary to think that so many people simply ignore it when they pull up to the drive-thru at McDonalds.
It’s a fact; our waistlines are growing faster than ever. If there’s anything greater than our obsession with fast food, it’s our downright reluctance and laziness to do anything about it.
There is some good news in sight though for those of us who want to be healthy and still enjoy ourselves.
In an article for Forbes.com, research has revealed that being a little lazy might actually help your heart stay healthy. In the article, a study of Greek men and women revealed that taking a midday nap may reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 30 percent. These naps, or siestas, are very common in Mediterranean countries and a few places in Latin America, all of which have comparatively low rates of heart disease.
The study followed over 20,000 individuals for an average of 6.3 years, monitoring their habits. They found that a daily nap was ultimately a good way to lower the risk of heart disease. Even people who napped only occasionally found their risk to be reduced by about 12%.
This is good news for people in countries such as Mexico and Spain, and may spell out some employer work day changes within the U.S. if these findings are confirmed.
Researchers say that the cause for this odd association between sleep and heart problems, may simply be the stress component. A nap relieves a lot of the stress that you may feel, which would greatly benefit a working individual, they hypothesized. The improvements caused by taking a siesta were greatly reduced in those individuals who did not have jobs.
However the team behind the study wanted to be clear that taking a nap, despite their results, was no substitute for a proper diet and exercise regime. They advised that people who don’t currently nap wait for the results of further research and stick to what’s been proven effective for now: Exercise regularly, don’t smoke and maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure level.
It’s a fact; our waistlines are growing faster than ever. If there’s anything greater than our obsession with fast food, it’s our downright reluctance and laziness to do anything about it.
There is some good news in sight though for those of us who want to be healthy and still enjoy ourselves.
In an article for Forbes.com, research has revealed that being a little lazy might actually help your heart stay healthy. In the article, a study of Greek men and women revealed that taking a midday nap may reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 30 percent. These naps, or siestas, are very common in Mediterranean countries and a few places in Latin America, all of which have comparatively low rates of heart disease.
The study followed over 20,000 individuals for an average of 6.3 years, monitoring their habits. They found that a daily nap was ultimately a good way to lower the risk of heart disease. Even people who napped only occasionally found their risk to be reduced by about 12%.
This is good news for people in countries such as Mexico and Spain, and may spell out some employer work day changes within the U.S. if these findings are confirmed.
Researchers say that the cause for this odd association between sleep and heart problems, may simply be the stress component. A nap relieves a lot of the stress that you may feel, which would greatly benefit a working individual, they hypothesized. The improvements caused by taking a siesta were greatly reduced in those individuals who did not have jobs.
However the team behind the study wanted to be clear that taking a nap, despite their results, was no substitute for a proper diet and exercise regime. They advised that people who don’t currently nap wait for the results of further research and stick to what’s been proven effective for now: Exercise regularly, don’t smoke and maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure level.
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