Napping: is it really a means by which short sleepers can have their cake and eat it too?

Short sleep duration is pervasive worldwide. It is recognized that short sleep duration, but also long sleep duration, may increase one’s risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke (1). In a recent issue of the European Heart Journal, Wang and colleagues present evidence of increased risk of mortality and cardiovascular events in adults reporting both short and long sleep duration (2). This study is noteworthy because it followed a large population from 21 countries around the world over a period of approximately 8 years.