Okay, we’ve been told over and over (and over again) that physical movement and exercise is good for our bodies. And specifically that getting a lot of regular exercise … enough to get our heart rate up and the blood pumping … is great for our hearts.

No one disagrees with that right?

Well, what if … what if a good ole fashioned mid-day nap was also shown to be beneficial for your ticker?

Is that a ‘chore” you could get excited about? (I know I can!)

Okay, first this comes from Nitro Blitz…

People who regularly take a power nap for at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes, have a 37% lower risk of death due to coronary heart disease (leading to myocardial infarction) compared with people who dot not take a power nap.

I’m not sure where that research comes from, but hey… sounds good to me!

Then there was the recent study carried out by researchers at the University of Chicago (recently published by the Journal of the American Medical Association).

500 middle-aged adults in this study slept an average of 6 hours a night.

And they found that 1 bonus hour of zzzz’s reduced their risk of heart attacks, stroke, and heart failure.

Apparently, the extra hour of sleep was in direct correlation with a lowered risk of developing coronary artery calcification (in layman terms, clogged arteries.)

If you’re sruggling with the idea of sleeping in or taking a mid-day nap and haven’t been doing it because you shouldn’t … well, now you can do it guilt-free!