I love sleep. I need at least 7 hours to feel human and when I’m sleep-deprived, it’s just so much harder to make sense of what the news articles I’m trying to edit are all about. And I’m not alone in feeling this way.

There’s no doubt that sleep is good. Not getting enough sleep can make you, among other things, cranky, forgetful and obese. Scientists are now saying that if you can add on a regular midday nap, say 30 minutes three times a week, you can cut your risk of heart disease by 37%.

This might explain why heart disease is lower in countries where people take siestas, say the scientists, who followed 23,681 Greek men and women ages 20 to 86 for about six years. They published their results in this week’s Archives of Internal Medicine.

I think it might also have something to do with the famous low-fat diet in Mediterranean countries. In India, where I’m from, people also take midday naps—something to do with escaping the sun’s grueling rays for at least a couple of hours. India has one of the highest rates of heart disease in the world.

But hey, why look a gift horse in the mouth? This is all the encouragement I’ve ever needed. I asked today if I could nap at work every day. You know, for my health.

My boss Juan Carlos Lopez, Nature Medicine’s chief editor, hails from Mexico and spent many years in Spain. Naturally, he fully supports the concept of a midday nap — in theory.

JC, as we call him around here, says he sometimes takes a nap on the weekends, but no more than 15 minutes. “If it’s more than 15 minutes, it screws up my whole day,” he says.

Suportive boss that he is, he says I can try it if I want, but my colleagues will probably yell in my ear, or something equally pleasant, and wake me up.

Sigh. I guess my daily siesta will have to remain a dream.