Napping for 30 minutes could lose almost an inch off your waistline compared to sitting down

A half-hour nap every day could lose almost an inch off your waistline compared with sitting down, a study suggests. 

Any activity, including going to sleep, has been found to be more beneficial for health than being sedentary and can aid weight loss.

A University College London study observed more than 15,000 people equipped with movement-tracking gadgets. The results found the average person spends 7.7 hours of a day sleeping, 10.4 hours sedentary, stands for three hours and spends another three being active.

Computer models tracked and forecast what would happen if a person regularly replaced 30 minutes of sedentary behaviour with alternatives.

Dr Jo Blodgett, one of the authors of the study, said: “Replacing 30 minutes of daily sedentary behaviour with 30 minutes of sleep was associated with 0.43 lower BMI and 1.75cm (0.7inches) lower waist circumference.”

Sleep also avoided “related unhealthy behaviours such as snacking” that contribute to weight gain when sitting. 

The study, published in the European Heart Journal and conducted in partnership with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), showed that swapping sedentary behaviour for any form of activity is beneficial. Dr Blodgett said the “big takeaway” is that “intensity is key”. 

“Benefits are greatest for moderate or high intensity activity,” she said. “This could be running, a brisk walk or even stair climbing. However, there are also benefits in replacing sedentary activities with light activity such as walking, standing or sleeping.”

Regularly replacing sitting down with half an hour of light activity, such as brisk walking, mopping, or a bike ride, leads to a 0.5 BMI decrease, data show.

Intense activity, such as playing football, going for a run or a hike, leads to a 0.63 BMI drop.

“Our results stress that physical activity is the most important behaviour for cardiometabolic health,” Dr Blodgett said.

“Replacing sedentary behaviours with any activity can improve BMI, waist circumference, cholesterol and triglycerides (a type of fat that circulate in your blood).

“While small changes to how you move can have a positive effect on heart health, intensity of movement matters.

“The most beneficial change we observed was replacing sitting with moderate to vigorous activity – which could be a run, a brisk walk, or stair climbing – basically any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, even for a minute or two.”

James Leiper, the associate medical director at the BHF, said incorporating “activity snacks” into a daily routine could be a good way for people to weave more movement into their daily life.

“Walking while taking phone calls, or setting an alarm to get up and do some star jumps every hour is a great way to start building activity into your day, to get you in the habit of living a healthy, active lifestyle.

“This encouraging research shows that small adjustments to your daily routine could lower your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.”