Thread by @hyderabaddoctor

Daytime napping for >30 minutes increases the risk of atrial fibrillation
1. Some nap during daytime as a habit, whereas a few try to catch up on lost sleep at nights with some daytime napping.
However, there is some bad news for those napping >30 minutes during daytime.
#sleep

2. In a recent study, compared to short daytime nappers(<30 min), those who snoozed for 30 minutes or more per day had a nearly doubled risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF).
Meanwhile, compared with short nappers; risk was not elevated in those who avoided #napping.

3. Further analysis was done based on the nap duration.
Compared with those who napped for more than 30 minutes per day, those who napped for less than 15 min had a 42% lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation; while those who napped for 15 to 30 min had a 56% reduced risk.

4. There are numerous potential explanations for the associations between napping and health. For example, long daytime naps may disrupt the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), leading to shorter night-time sleep, more night-time awakening and reduced physical activity.

5. In contrast, short daytime napping may improve circadian rhythm, lower blood pressure levels and reduce stress.

6. Take home message:
*The optimum napping duration seems to be 15-30 minutes; however, more research is needed to confirm this.
*Napping for >30 minutes during day increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a common risk factor for causing brain stroke.

Reference: Dr. Jesus Diaz-Gutierrez of Juan Ramon Jimenez University Hospital, Huelva, Spain. Research (ePoster) presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)-April 13, 2023.