A new study has found on-shift napping could have some health benefits.

The report investigated the effect of on-shift napping on BMI among in 409 night-shift nursing professionals.

The Brazilian study was conducted in a public hospital on a sample of 409 female nursing professionals with at least one year of night shift work.

The researchers found that the number of night shifts and the years of night work were significantly associated with increased BMI among non-nappers, but far less so among those who took naps at work.

“Among non-nappers, number of working nights and years of night work were significantly associated with increased BMI levels. However, in relation to the group of night workers who usually nap during the night shift, the association between night work and BMI was not statistically significant,” the study found.

“The fact that significant associations between night work and increased BMI were restricted to workers who did not nap suggests a benefit of on-shift napping in relation to body weight.

“This result is in line with those suggesting on-shift napping as a countermeasure to the negative effects of night work in relation to physiological measures and self-reported physician diagnosis of hypertension.”

“The results of the study are in agreement with other research showing the positive effects of napping during night work in relation to recovery from work and hypertension, suggest a potential benefit of napping among nursing workers,” the paper reported.

The researchers said an appropriate napping regime could be supported in occupational health policies for night workers.