Break for BP

In today’s 24/7/365 society, few of us take time to tend to our health and well-being; a midday nap may seem completely elusive.  Manolis Kallistratos, from Asklepieion Voula General Hospital (Greece), and colleagues assessed the effect of midday sleep on blood pressure among a group of 386 men and women, average age 61.4 years), with arterial hypertension.  The team collected these measurements for all subjects: midday sleep time (in minutes), office blood pressure, 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, lifestyle habits, body mass index (BMI) and a complete echocardiographic evaluation including left atrial size. After adjusting for confounding factors, the researchers found that midday sleepers had 5% lower average 24 hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure (by 6 mmHg), as compared to patients who did not sleep at all midday. Their average systolic blood pressure readings were 4% lower when they were awake (by 5 mmHg) and 6% lower while they slept at night (by 7 mmHg), as compared to non-midday sleepers.  As well, in midday sleepers pulse wave velocity levels were 11% lower and left atrium diameter was 5% smaller. The lead investigator comments that: “midday naps seem to lower blood pressure levels and may probably also decrease the number of required antihypertensive medications."