An afternoon nap is good for your health

Dropping off for around an hour during the day helps to lower blood pressure, say researchers

It's official: sleeping is good for you. No surprises there, of course – but it's daytime sleeping (otherwise known as a catnap, a siesta, or just falling asleep at your desk with your head on your elbow, dribbling on your sleeve) that, according to new research, could actually improve the health of your heart. Researchers at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania have found that dropping off for 45 minutes to an hour helps to lower your blood pressure after a stressful event.

Many of our highest achievers have long-proclaimed the benefits of taking a brief time-out from the stresses of the day. Winston Churchill first coined the term "power nap", claiming that a daily afternoon sleep brought him the clarity of thinking he needed for wartime victory. "You must sleep some time between lunch and dinner, and no halfway measures," he insisted. Margaret Thatcher famously ordered her aides not to disturb her between 2.30 and 3.30pm, so she could snooze; Bill Clinton did the same each day at 3pm. Other illustrious nappers include Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Johannes Brahms.

For most of us, however, taking to our bed after lunch is more than a little impractical. So what do you do if you want a nifty siesta – purely for medicinal purposes. The first place to head for is the park – though best saved for summer, a cosy duvet-jacket or onesie might provide the appropriate quilting at this time of year. You could tell your boss you've got a lunch meeting, and then go out and choose the dullest film you can find – True Grit should do the trick – let your eyes close as the lights dim, and hey presto you're napping. Or what about picking a bus route or train journey that takes roughly 45 minutes, donning your eye-mask and earplugs and asking the nice lady opposite to wake you up when you get there.

Of course, for advanced nappers it's a no-brainer. Schedule your dullest meetings for mid-afternoon, then discreetly zone out while keeping your head and neck upright and nodding at intervals in a semblance of concurrence. If you're lucky, nobody will notice.