Dangers in daytime snoozing

It’s been a busy week for the French, as they also reported recently on a collaborative study with colleagues in Belgium and Denmark on the dangers of dozing off during the day. Now I am a great fan of the siesta, but apparently as you get older you should monitor how sleepy you are feeling during the day as it could be linked to a significantly higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Significant like in a whopping 49 per cent greater risk than those who didn’t feel sleepy during the day. The Three City study is the first to study this phenomenon in Europe and was based on people living independently at home, not in nursing homes or hospitals.

It is early to say how valid the research is, but the advice is that is you are starting to feel more sleepy than usual during the day you report this to your doctor. I would also suggest investigating how to overcome it whether it is a physical issue of not enough exercise, or a mental issue of not enough stimulation to keep you awake. Good supports in this area would be to take up something like tai chi, walk more, find an interesting hobby that stretches you or learn some new skill just for the fun of it.