Siestas ‘help treat high blood pressure’

DOCTORS have prescribed afternoon siestas for people who suffer high blood pressure.

Scientists in Greece looked at 212 people with an average age of 62, who were being treated for high blood pressure.

Those who snoozed during the day had blood pressure on average 4% lower than those who did not.

Cardiologist Manolis Kallistratos said: “We don’t encourage people to be lazy. 45 to 60 minutes may be enough.”

The results are similar to drinking less and cutting down on salt and could reduce the risk of heart attacks by about 10%.

Sonya Babu-Narayan, of the British Heart foundation said: “As tempting as it might sound to swap all of these measures for a daily siesta, making healthy lifestyle choices remains the key to preventing hearts attacks.”