Death by Napping? The Frightening Link to High Blood Pressure and Increased Stroke Risk

Man Napping Laptop

According to new research, napping on a regular basis is associated with higher risks for high blood pressure and stroke.

American Heart Association study shows link between frequent naps and high blood pressure.

  • Frequent or usual daytime napping in adults was associated with a 24% high risk of having a stroke and a 12% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to never napping.
  • Experts say napping, though not unhealthy, could be a sign of poor sleep quality.
  • A higher percentage of frequent nappers were men, had lower education and income levels, and reported daily drinking, cigarette smoking, insomnia, snoring, and being an evening person compared to people who reported napping sometimes or never.
  • The Mendelian randomization result shows that if napping frequency increased by one category (from never to sometimes or sometimes to usually) high blood pressure risk increased by 40%.

According to new research published on July 25, 2022, in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal, napping on a regular basis is associated with higher risks for high blood pressure and stroke.

For the research, scientists in China investigated whether frequent naps could be a potential causal risk factor for high blood pressure and/or stroke. It is the first study to investigate whether frequent napping was associated with high blood pressure and ischemic stroke using both observational analyses of participants over a long period of time and Mendelian randomization – a genetic risk validation.

“These results are especially interesting since millions of people might enjoy a regular, or even daily nap,” says E Wang, Ph.D., M.D., a professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Xiangya Hospital Central South University, and the study’s corresponding author.

For the study, researchers used information from UK Biobank. This large biomedical database and research resource contains anonymized genetic, lifestyle, and health information from half a million UK participants. Between 2006 and 2010, UK Biobank recruited more than 500,000 participants between the ages of 40 and 69 who lived in the United Kingdom. The participants regularly provided blood, urine, and saliva samples, as well as detailed information about their lifestyles. The daytime napping frequency survey occurred 4 times from 2006 – 2019 in a small proportion of UK Biobank participants.

Wang’s team excluded records of people who had already had a stroke or had high blood pressure before the start of the study. This left about 360,000 participants to analyze the association between napping and first-time reports of stroke or high blood pressure, with an average follow-up of about 11 years. Participants were divided into three groups based on self-reported napping frequency: “never/rarely,” “sometimes,” or “usually.”

The study found:

  • A higher percentage of usual-nappers were men, had lower education and income levels, and reported daily drinking, cigarette smoking, snoring, insomnia, and being an evening person compared to never- or sometimes-nappers;
  • People who usually nap had a 12% higher likelihood of developing high blood pressure and 24% higher likelihood of having a stroke compared to people who reported never taking a nap;
  • Participants younger than age 60 who usually napped had a 20% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to people the same age who never napped. After age 60, usual napping was associated with a 10% higher risk of high blood pressure compared to those who reported never napping;
  • About three-fourths of participants remained in the same napping category throughout the study;
  • The Mendelian randomization result showed that if napping frequency increased by one category (from never to sometimes or sometimes to usually) high blood pressure risk increased 40%. Higher napping frequency was related to the genetic propensity for high blood pressure risk.

“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. Poor sleep at night is associated with poorer health, and naps are not enough to make up for that,” said Michael A. Grandner, Ph.D., MTR, a sleep expert and co-author of the American Heart Association’s new Life’s Essential 8 cardiovascular health score, which added sleep duration in June 2022 as the 8th metric for measuring optimal heart and brain health. “This study echoes other findings that generally show that taking more naps seems to reflect increased risk for problems with heart health and other issues.” Grander is director of the Sleep Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The researchers recommend further examination of the associations between a healthy sleep pattern, including daytime napping, and heart health.

Several important limitations of the study should be considered. Scientists only collected daytime napping frequency, not duration, so there is no information on how or whether the length of nap affects blood pressure or stroke risks. In addition, nap frequency was self-reported without any objective measurements, making estimates nonquantifiable. Furthermore, the research participants were mostly middle-aged and elderly with European ancestry, so the results may not be generalizable. Finally, scientists have not yet discovered the biological mechanism for the effect of daytime napping on blood pressure regulation or stroke.

Reference: “Association of Nap Frequency With Hypertension or Ischemic Stroke Supported by Prospective Cohort Data and Mendelian Randomization in Predominantly Middle-Aged European Subjects” by Min-jing Yang, Zhong Zhang, Yi-jing Wang, Jin-chen Li, Qu-Lian Guo, Xiang Chen and E. Wang, 25 July 2022, Hypertension.
DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.122.19120

Co-authors are Min-jing Yang, M.D.; Zhong Zhang, Ph.D., M.D.; Yi-jing Wang; M.D.; Jin-chen Li, Ph.D.; Qu-lian Guo, Ph.D., M.D.; Xiang Chen, Ph.D., M.D.

The National Key Research and Development Program of China financially support this research.

59 Comments on "Death by Napping? The Frightening Link to High Blood Pressure and Increased Stroke Risk"

  1. So in a nutshell this article is a complete waste of space. I’m wondering where the researchers in China found all these late middle age European men to base their study on in the first place. Could they have been hanging out in hospital waiting rooms in Florida perhapse.

  2. What an intentionally ambiguous presentation of this research -despite the disclaimer that “napping is harmless”. You fail to connect that statement to the research by making an explicit distinction between association and causal association!

    Napping is not a cause of hypertension or stroke. That’s like saying that positive pregnancy tests are associated with pregnancy… Of course they are. They do not, however, cause pregnancy.
    Napping is more like a positive test result, except instead of being an indicator of pregnancy related hormones; it’s an indicator for the potential presence of existing hypertension-causing conditions.

    It should also be noted that, just like positive pregnancy test results are not always an accurate indicator of pregnancy; napping is, by far, neither a fail-safe indicator of hypertension-causing conditions, nor a reliable predictor of future hypertension and/stroke.

    Sadly, I’m sure there are now people who, not realizing that napping was merely an indicator, not a cause; are running around telling their poor family members never to nap again.

  3. A more poorly written scientific article would be hard to find. No cause and effect, only association. A finding of poor sleep quality to the suggested health issues would be much more accurate.

  4. What a lie and the author should feel ashamed of himself. Pathetic talking piece for the CCP and DNC.

  5. This study sounds biased wonder what college students came up with this find lol

  6. Real Asitgets | August 1, 2022 at 2:47 pm | Reply

    It seems that Chinese folks figured out how to get more money from the Europeans…it seems European health organizations provide grants to Chinese doctors to prove meaningless things, all while the Chinese scientists can spend time to make a new COVID variant.

  7. So now sleep is bad for you? When your sick no ones says stay up don’t sleep. Why in the world would we listen to Chinese scientist!!!! lol

  8. I would think napping is more a cause of heart issues not the other way around.

  9. This is fascist propaganda. The vaccine is killing people and these lying murderous POS know the truth. Taking a nap doesn’t cause a stroke. It’s total BS

  10. Used to be that naps were a good thing. Now we’ve gone 180. Thanks though, I’ll continue to take a snooze when it suits me. But I won’t be surprised when some group of woke sociopaths tries to outlaw it.
    Between bs like this and the solar flares and asteroids heading our way, who can sleep? I blame the Chinese as they have an agenda to destroy America any way they can. OMG, I forgot! The Chinese are coming, the Chinese are coming…

  11. Chinese propaganda.
    Lets hope their economy continues to collapse and takes the CCP with it.
    Unfortunately it’s going to hurt us but it beats the damage their doing intentionally.
    Then hopefully, we can eject the corrupt players in our own country and repair things before it become unrecoverable.

  12. Does the study factor in cultural habits, such as the siesta? I’m more inclined to believe this study is a complete waste of time and money.

  13. I sleep terrible every night and nap during the day. I have great blood pressure and I’m 58

    • Amen. I would be worse off if I didn’t take a nap. Sometimes I think I sleep better during my naps than at night.

  14. Ah yes the Chinese , so trustworthy – we are so blessed to have them looking out for our health – the CCP have their grubby hands in every aspect of our country – buying up food processing plans , real estate , have spies banging our congressman ( yes u u punk bich Eric swallows-well) even poisoning dog food & tainting products & food for Americans – our media is in bed with the CCP too – America has been bought & sold long time ago – Biden in a middle of a gas crisis is selling china our strategic reserve oil/ gas – this current admin is bought & sold to the CCP as well even tho we Kno they released the virus to us & the world – hopefully thier economy collapses & USA avoids as much collateral damage as possible from it

  15. These are medical experts, so I now know to totally disregard their “studies”.

  16. Load of garbage gaslighting. Hot weather deadly for blood clots. Now a nap will kill you. Yeah right. Insurance actuaries say excess deaths of 40% since introducing the V and its going to get much much worse.

  17. What a joke, this probably was financ
    Backed by people who lie…..

  18. I smell the lies ….cdc and faucie..all the way , dumb asses

  19. Well, I was alarmed until I read the actual article. I am a middle-aged woman, enjoy a good juicy nap almost daily and am in very good health. General rules: don’t smoke, don’t drink, exercise regularly, and if I get tired I take a nap and feel consistently refreshed afterward.

  20. Anything they can come up with to detract from the jab being the main cause of unexplainable health issues.

  21. Have we learned nothing about China in these past few years??

  22. Funny how this came from China. You are gonna see more and more ridiculous “news” articles trying to explain why so many people are dropping dead. We all know what was pushed onto the world for the last 2 years is what’s dropping people.

  23. They will tell us now that everything cause blood cloth and heart attacks. Of course all to cover what we all know the true cause.

  24. Siesta is a form of relaxation proven to be a healthy lifestyle for years. Study is full of crap

  25. It’s only necessary to read to the first mention of the study being conducted in China to realize that it must be a bogus report. There’s absolutely no reason to believe anything that comes out of the country. In addition, countries like Spain amd Italy are reknowned for their “siesta,” a practice in place for at least a century. However, neother country figures high on the list of the Chinese “scientists.”

  26. So this is just a bunch of or just one. Anti vaccine folk using a form of propaganda and making it about this study.

  27. Absolute bullhonkey. It’s caused by the covid vaccine, which some of its severe side effects is heart failure, stroke, brain bleeds, aneurysms, and the like. Isn’t this suspposed to be a science publication? Where’s the science?

  28. Typical of Judeo Capitalist who want to explain to you why it’s good for you to be exploited as an employee. “You see goy; were looking out for by having you work 12 hour shifts and if you think about complaining we will just replace you with some HB1 Indian who only knows to punch ticket

  29. Tony pelliccio | August 4, 2022 at 12:22 pm | Reply

    Sleep is important. But there are other factors. In case you didn’t know sugar is added to everything. The more you eat raises risk.

  30. income levels, and reported daily drinking, cigarette smoking, insomnia, snoring, and being an evening person…. Means NAPPING is not good for you.
    What 10 year old wrote this article?

  31. It is common in Mainland China for workers to take a nap after lunch. It sounds like the CCP is trying to squeeze a few more minutes of work out of their labor force. That, and this is the least scientific scientific paper I have ever read. They even said that the “usually naps” people are more likely to drink and smoke heavily and stay up later. It sounds like that is probably why they nap more and also why they have high blood pressure.

  32. Yawning to much to read I need a nap

  33. Kevin Glasgow | August 5, 2022 at 1:40 am | Reply

    These kinds of articles Are showing up more and more and why wouldn’t they? After all, the globalists who are pushing depopulation agendas and faking pandemics so everyone rushes out to get filled with experiential nanotechnology need a few good excuses as to why people are now dropping dead randomly. If this sounds nuts to you, do a little research and stay clear of mainstream media for sources into things like, new world Order, agenda 2030, bill gates push for vax and his buy up of farmland, the world economic forum and Klaus Schwab, the Rothschild’s, the top 1%, agenda 21, Remdesivir and Fauci, and on and on and on. We could stop all of this like the Dutch are trying to do but we need to wake up collectively first. We’re running out of time too.

    • These scumbags cant even do it correct while using it to skew the obvious.
      The usual nappers had a higher percentage of smokers, drinkers, ect….
      But its the naps making that group more likely….
      I wouldnt be suprised if EVERY person in the nonnap group was vetted to not be part of an ongoing experiment….

  34. The article forgot to mention it’s the vaxxed people dying from “naps”…

  35. Joseph Emerson | August 5, 2022 at 9:13 am | Reply

    He’s not napping, he’s posing for the camera.

  36. Hey nappers don’t worry, the study is done by Chinese , who never tell any truth. Simply don’t trust . Another Chinese lie as always.

  37. Oh brother a study by the ones who gave us the China virus. How useless.

  38. A bunch of b.s., but believe everything you read. Lol

  39. Grandpa took a nap every afternoon since I could remember from 12 on ,lived to be 92 with no heart problems . no shot for me. Had shots in the Air Force for 35 years, must have gotten lucky that they didn’t have test vaccines when I was in.

  40. The study is full of crap. Associating napping with heart problems is absurd. There are plenty of other factors that are known to affect the heart.

    Reading the comment section made me realize how many anti vaxxers are out there. Come on people, you must be waiting eagerly for the rest of us to die? Relax, nothing will happen.

    • Yep! Crazies thinking because article after article about napping, making the bed, the heat wave day in sf of 78° causing strokes n deaths as if 78 isnt blistering, ect are coming out the woodwork that somethings being covered up… Hahaha.
      As if athlete collapsing has gone up over 100% lmao
      As if the strokes heart attacks ect are oisted as possible side effects when they clearly told us off rip that was conspiracy theory…. As if they switched to super rare n then rare or something… Lol
      Its not like drs are screaming on alternative platforms because theyre censored on any main outlet. Hahaha. Not as if theres some new “unknown” sads thats here or as if theres any studies showing the spike protien being toxic n causing clots or as if its now proven to accumulate in organs after vaccination…. These conspiracy nutjobs are prolly the ones who were saying it doenst stop transmission just cause off rip they never tested to see if it stopped it or because vaxxed people in the trials caught it meaning they had the virus n could spread it…. Not as if your govt tried to hide the data for 75 years n upon release it showed theyve lied about everything.
      These antiscience nutjobs.
      Between your n my comment we showed those fools….

      A pharma company n your govt lying n putting out a dangerous product…. Never happened before! Why would it now?

  41. This article is riddled with a bunch of lies and the writer needs their tail fired

  42. Found all the triggered snowflakes! Look at all of you, probably about to stroke out as you furiously blow up your keyboards in anger. What a sad collection of ignorance on display. Each of you need to go to your rooms and take a nap.

  43. Why are we or why should we listen to anything China scientists are saying. How about doing a study in the USA. This article must be a joke and it’s not even April fools day.

  44. I’m about to take a nap..this article is bs. And we supposed to take advice from Chinese scientists, what a joke.

  45. More Chinese propaganda to poison American minds and lives. Please excuse me while I take a nap.

  46. You dirtballs will do anything to being up anything no matter how obvious it is those things have been done regularly for generations to skew the OBVIOUS increase in all this.

  47. Thanks Chatty Cdn, you nailed it.

  48. Mark Newman of Iowa, USA | August 8, 2022 at 9:58 am | Reply

    Interesting, helpful study AND article. I have sleep apnea, High BP, one heart attack and, microstrokes!

  49. Correlation not causation. But if you wanna know why they are napping so much look at what they were eating. Sugar, processed food, seed oils. If you cut those out you will stop napping all the time, which is a side effect of the mentioned foods, and you will have lower risk of stroke and chronic disease, which are symptoms of metabolic syndrome caused by the previous mentioned foods. Also, when you cut those out, you should increase saturated fats from animal fats and eat more organs. I did those things and all my health problems and energy problems went away in a few weeks and lost 50 pounds over 6 months. Look at your diet first.

  50. Give me a fu$%ing BREAK!

  51. Friendly neighborhood Spiderman. | August 10, 2022 at 5:10 pm | Reply

    Funny how deaths by stroke, heart attack,clots, high BP have also exploded since the 💉 was rolled out. Talk to any mortician and they’ll tell you that deaths increased by 300%+ since the jabs we’re introduced and not during Cv!d. But sure… it’s…napping. 😑 Can we be so naive.

  52. I think everyone who responded to this article should take a long nap

  53. Someone should do a study on my father. He is 94 years old. He has had high blood pressure his whole life and has never had a heart attack or stroke. He is slower and losing his balance somewhat, but he still does rigorous activities like cutting down trees and making firewood. Since he’s so elderly, he is more tired than he used to be and takes naps after lunch while watching the news. His recent blood tests were all good, with slight issues with his thyroid. He has always looked first to healthy eating and supplements, and has avoided doctors as much as possible. People are going down this path of believing that human life is fragile and this turns people into hypochondriacs, which makes them feel even more dependent on medicine. I think life is actually really tough, especially if you eat right and take care of your body. Really if I think of the people who make it past their 80s, I’m often surprised by how long many people make it even when they don’t take good care of their bodies.

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