Heart health has never been easy. The most proven methods are things that few people look forward to…strenuous exercise and drastic diet changes.
But a new study reveals the lazy man’s way to heart attack prevention.
Researchers from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland tracked 3,462 people for five years. They found that those who napped once or twice a week had a 48% lower chance of heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.[1]
Dr. Nadine Hausler was the lead study author. She said that napping reduces stress, which is a risk factor for heart attacks. Napping has “a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease events,” Dr. Hausler said.[2]
5 Strategies for a Heart-Healthy Power Nap
Here’s how to optimize your naps…
- Avoid napping late in the day. If you nap too close to your bedtime, it can interfere with your nighttime sleep. For most people, prime nap time is around six to eight hours after they get up in the morning—usually 1 to 3 in the afternoon.
- Nap where it’s conducive to sleeping. You’ll fall asleep faster and easier in a cool, dark room.
- Shoot for napping between 20 and 30 minutes. The National Sleep Foundation recommends this as the best napping duration. If you go longer, you’re likely to experience sleep inertia—lasting grogginess after you wake up.
The Swiss study found that people who took naps longer than an hour did not get the same level of heart benefits as those who took shorter naps.[3]
- Use caffeine as an internal “alarm.” It takes caffeine about 20 minutes to affect you after you ingest it. So if you drink some coffee just before you lie down, it will help wake you up at about the perfect time.
- Expose yourself to sunlight as soon as you wake up. We’re made sleepy by the release of the hormone melatonin. Bright sunlight shuts it down. Right after your nap, open your window shade and bask in the light. You’ll quickly banish residual sleepiness.
Exercise and a good diet are important to your heart. But the easiest way to cardiovascular health may be a quick nap.
Editor’s Note: Research shows the standard mainstream medical treatments to prevent heart attacks—stents and statin drugs—don’t work. Learn what does work in the October issue of our monthly journal, Independent Healing. It’s your best source for science-based health advice. Find out how to subscribe HERE.
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[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31501230
[2]https://consumer.healthday.com/sleep-disorder-information-33/misc-sleep-problems-news-626/occasional-naps-do-a-heart-good-swiss-study-finds-750108.html
[3]https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/health/nap-heart-health-wellness-intl-scli/index.html