Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
The siesta and mortality: twelve years of prospective observations in 70-year-olds
Michael Bursztyn1, Jochanan Stessman
1Hypertension Unit, Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus, P.O. Box 24035, Jerusalem 91240, Israel. bursz@cc.huji.ac.il
Study Objective:
To examine effect of siesta on mortality.
Design:
A 12 years prospective cohort.
Setting:
Population sample.
Participants:
Residents of Jerusalem (n=455), 70 year olds.
Interventions:
N/A.
Results:
There were more males in the group with the siesta (n=276), 68% and more (16%) past myocardial infarction than those without the siesta, 6% (n=179) p < 0.01. After 12 years 147 subjects died. Survival was 64% in people practicing the siesta, and 74%, who did not p = 0.005. In a Cox proportional hazard model, that included many confounding factors hazard ratio (HR) for mortality was 1.6 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-2.7, for those who napped. After exclusion of the 19 subjects who died during the first 2 years of follow-up, the hazard ratio was not materially altered, HR of 1.6 95% CI, 1.0-2.6.
Conclusion:
Although causality is not clear, the siesta appears to be a significantly independent mortality predictor.
