A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

The next time the boss finds you snoozing at your desk, take heart.

A large new study has found that people who regularly took a siesta were significantly less likely to die of heart disease.

"Taking a nap could turn out to be an important weapon in the fight against coronary mortality," said Dimitrios Trichopoulos of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who led the study published yesterday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study of more than 23,000 Greek adults -- the biggest and best examination of the subject to date -- found that those who regularly took a midday siesta were more than 30 percent less likely to die of heart disease.

Other experts said the results are intriguing. Heart disease kills more than 650,000 Americans each year, making it the nation's No. 1 cause of death.

"It's interesting. A little siesta, a little snooze may be beneficial," said Gerald Fletcher, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., speaking on behalf of the American Heart Association. "It's simple, but it has a lot of promise."

Now consider that if your boss actually does catch you napping on the job, he/she'll fire you.

But if you go outside for a smoking break, no one will even think twice about it.