World Hypertension day: Daytime napping puts you at high blood pressure risk, says new study

You may want to stop snoozing in the daytime as a new study has found that those who steal forty winks in the day are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN conducted a meta-analysis that included data from nine observational studies with 112,267 participants.

The results found that those seeking midday shut-eye had a 13-19% increase in risk for hypertension. However, when researchers looked at the data on the link between nighttime napping in individuals who work night-shifts and hypertension, the results were limited.

One observational study found that night-shift workers who napped at night showed reduced risk of hypertension by 21%. According to lead researcher Wisit Cheungpasitporn, ore research is needed to better understand whether the duration of midday sleep or if diet, exercise or an underlying medical condition, might be impacting risk.

The study has been presented at the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension.