Brief naps a few times a week can be beneficial to your cardiovascular health. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Q: I recently watched a video on the positive effects of napping in regard to heart disease. I am 66; I am a lifelong athlete with normal blood pressure and an LDL cholesterol level that is slightly elevated. I've been considering a statin and now wonder how napping may affect that decision.

A: The physical benefits of a nap are woven into humankind's earliest history. Medical texts uncovered in ancient China cite napping as a way to restore balance to the body. In Hellenic Greece and ancient Rome, an afternoon nap was an important health practice.

Modern-day researchers are also taking a keen interest in the effects of a daytime snooze. After more than four decades of inquiry, tho

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