Spreading the good snooze: Pope demands a nap

Thomas Edison said a short sleep during the day gave him the energy he needed to invent the electric light bulb, Eleanor Roosevelt wouldn't give a speech without taking one and scientists say a quick snooze in the afternoon can even stave off heart disease.

All of which might explain why the organisers of Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to Britain have been kind enough to earmark time in the Pope's itinerary to allow him to take a nap.

The full details of the 83-year-old's three-day visit in September were published online yesterday for the first time, showing that his trip will be crammed full of official meetings, speeches and helicopter rides to ferry him to the three large outdoor masses that he is due to preside over in Glasgow, Birmingham and London.

But despite the hectic timetable, there is a noticeable gap of three to four hours each afternoon where nothing is officially scheduled. A source with knowledge of the plans told The Independent that organisers were keen to give the Pontiff time to take a rest should he wish to.

"He's getting on a bit and may need to take a break," the source said, pointing out that Benedict is 20 years older than John Paul II was when he visited Britain in 1982.

Organisers may have been influenced by the Pope's trip to Malta this year, when he was rather embarrassingly caught napping through a Mass attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims. Video footage of the incident, showing the Pontiff nodding off before being gently nudged awake by a colleague, became an instant YouTube hit.

Humiliating though that incident might have been for the Pontiff, there is plenty of scientific evidence to suggest that his napping habit is good for his health.

In 2007, a six-year study in Greece showed that a short sleep in the middle of the day was likely to reduce a person's risk of death from heart disease - particularly if they were young and healthy men.

The researchers, who looked at 23,681 men and women aged between 20 and 86, found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37 per cent lower risk of heart-related death.

It is known that countries where siestas are common tend to have lower levels of heart disease, and it is also believed that napping helps people to relax, reducing their stress levels.

Studies by Nasa, the US space agency, have also shown that alertness can double after a brief nap, even for well-rested people. It found that average work productivity increases by 13 per cent among nappers.

For the past year the Vatican has tried to play down fears over the Pope's health. Last summer he slipped and fell in his bedroom, and midnight Mass at Christmas was celebrated two hours earlier than usual because he was tired. Officially the Vatican says that the Pope's health is generally good and that he takes medication for a cardiovascular condition.

It was also announced yesterday that the leader of the world's one billion Catholics would be holding private meetings with individual political leaders. David Cameron has been given a 20-minute slot to greet Benedict, whereas Nick Clegg has just 10 minutes.

The Pope will also meet former equalities minister Harriet Harman, currently acting Leader of the Opposition. It could be an uncomfortable meeting, as when Ms Harman was in government she publicly clashed with the Vatican after Benedict urged his bishops to fight Britain's equality legislation with "missionary zeal".

Tony Blair, who converted to Catholicism after stepping down as Prime Minister and was a key instigator in offering the Pope a state visit, confirmed yesterday that he would be attending Benedict's speech to civil leaders in Westminster Hall on 16 September. But a source quoted by the Press Association said there would be "no specific Tony Blair moment" in the Pope's itinerary to allow a one-to-one meeting.

- INDEPENDENT