Sleep..

"I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting.",
said Mark Twain.


Albert Einstein, JFK, Winston Churchill, Napoleon, Thomas Edison and Leonardo de Vinci also used to enjoy midday naps. Many of us would agree (or perhaps would want to agree!).

Everybody dreams about a good nap in the middle of the day (My favorite is - under the shade of a tree after a good meal) but have to make-do with sleeping on an armchair in the office. For such sleep enthusiasts, there is good news in store. According to the researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Athens Medical School in Greece - a nap a day keeps the doctor away.

As per their findings published in Archives of Internal Medicine, those who took afternoon siestas of 30 minutes or more at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who did not. Their study, conducted on 23,681 men and women indicates that regular or occasional naps reduce the risk of death from heart attacks or other heart-related ills by 64 %.

"We all know that the three pillars of health are diet, exercise, and sleep, and, sometimes, people forget about the importance of sleep," said Dr. Alex Chediak , president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a University of Miami researcher.

It would be very encouraging if someone could pass on this philosophy to employers all over the world. Please don't forget my boss!