Hearts that get naptime pump longer

BOSTON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A 6-year study by Harvard researchers in Boston of more than 23,000 people has concluded taking naps throughout the day lowers the likelihood of heart disease.

Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, said he got the idea to do the study because in countries where naps, snoozes or siestas are common, there are lower coronary heart disease death rates, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The study followed 23,681 people in Greece who had no history of coronary heart disease, stroke or cancer, and Trichopoulos said those who napped at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week, were 37 percent less likely to die from heart disease. Those who napped only occasionally saw a 12 percent reduction.

"If you can have a nap without disturbing your working pattern or relationship with your boss, do have it," Trichopoulos said.

The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.