- People who take naps are more likely to develop high blood pressure and experience strokes, a new study has found.
- Researchers, who published the study's results in Monday's issue of the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, found that people who nap regularly are 12 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure and 24 percent more likely to suffer from a stroke.
- However, at least one sleep expert believes the issues reported in the study aren't directly related to napping. "This may be because, although taking a nap itself is not harmful, many people who take naps may do so because of poor sleep at night," says clinical psychologist Michael Grandner. "Poor sleep at night is associated with poorer health, and naps are not enough to make up for that."