Guilty No More

I just HAD to share this article posted today in the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle. I printed it out and placed copies in our break room and in my boss' inbox. I emailed it to my union rep for future contract negotiations and I'm sharing this with you.

Here are some excerpts:

In a study of more than 23,000 Greek men and women ages 20 to 86, researchers found that napping at least three times a week for a half-hour was associated with a significantly decreased risk of death from heart disease. After controlling for factors like smoking, body mass index, physical activity and diet, the researchers found that people who regularly took a siesta had a 37 percent lower coronary death rate than those who never napped. The effect was even greater in working men.

Napping fewer than three times a week was also associated with reduced risk, but the effect was not statistically significant. When the researchers restricted the analysis to working men who napped regularly, they found a 50 percent reduction...

I'm big on napping. But I rarely ever get to do so. If traffic is good going home, I can sneak a 30 minute nap before dinner. When I carpool, I try to nap, but the stop and go traffic makes my head bob back and forth. At work I occassionally doze off, but I wouldn't call it napping because it's only in 5 minute spurts (and my lousy phone keeps ringing!). Today I actually passed out before lunch due to my sick child at home keeping me up the night before. Fortunately I have friends at my fingertips (via IM) to keep me awake--thanks Mary!

I often feel guilty for napping because I think of all the lost productivity and the chores still awaiting me. But now that it's proven to be preventative medicine, I may need to reassess my daily routines. I can't think of a better way to cut down the risks of heart disease. Now if I can only find a way to cut down on the junk food...