In this case, falling asleep is not a good thing
Sometimes you just can’t help it; you’re watching a show or just relaxing on the couch and you just doze off. Do you wake up immediately and decide to go to bed right away? Or do you pull out a blanket and take a full on nap? Normally we would say that more sleep is better. But in this case, falling asleep on the couch might be an indicator for a different issue.
Blood pressure
Research presented at the European Society for Cardiology Congress in Rome, executed among 2,400 Japanese participants, showed that the blood pressure of the Japanese men that felt tired before bed (and fell asleep on the couch because of it), was higher. Sometimes even too high. Good news for our female readers: the blood pressure of the women who took a quick nap before bedtime was completely fine.
These findings could indicate that men who take a lot of naps on the couch and fall asleep early, might be dealing with some underlying health issue that causes fatigue and is caused by high blood pressure. Or it could mean that falling asleep on the couch raises your blood pressure! Either way, taking a nap before bed might not be the best way to go.
Health
Sleeping on the couch also won’t result in good sleep quality and might even give you back or neck pain. So next time you feel like falling asleep halfway through your favorite Netflix show, just force yourself to finish watching it. And go to bed after.
If you are (or know) a regular couch napper and you’re worried about their blood pressure, a visit to your doctor could be beneficial. High blood pressure can be dangerous because it increases the risk of a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
That’s why it is better to be safe than sorry!
Also read: This is why women don’t sleep as well as men do
Source: Marie Claire | Image: Unsplash, Roxana Zerni