Have you ever felt drowsy after lunch, especially when you are at work? These days when the whole world is locked down, are you not treating yourself with short and sometimes long afternoon naps? I know, you are doing it. Many of us happen to yearn it. This is exactly what Siesta is.
A siesta is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition across many countries. The tradition and the word ‘siesta’ are both Spanish yet the culture is observed in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe and Mainland China.
If you are from the northern part of India you would be surprised to know that eastern India sleeps for over one to four hours a day in the afternoon. Typically the market lanes lie vacant with shutters down all afternoon.
Siesta is very common in Italy. It is called riposo in Northern Italy and in Southern Italy it is known as pennichella or pisolino. For this reason, many museums, churches, and shops close during midday (from 12:00–1:30 pm to 2:30–4:00 pm) so that proprietors can go home for lunch and sometimes a nap during the day’s hottest hours. In the United States, the United Kingdom, and a growing number of other countries, a short sleep has been referred to as a “power nap“.
The napping tradition is also practiced in some colder regions, including Patagonia. Farmers in rural Norway, traditionally wake up early to care for their livestock. This arises the need for a two to three-hour nap in the afternoon followed by an early lunch break. There are historical writings mentioning emperors of Russia taking summertime siestas.
Siesta in the modern working world
The modern lifestyle has largely affected the midday nap with working adults abandoning it. The habit is more likely among the elderly or during summer holidays in order to avoid the high temperatures of the day and extend social life till the cooler late evenings.
Yet there are nap bars across the world and several companies and individuals that avail siesta breaks. From Madrid to Texas siesta bars allow customers to take a short nap after lunch for a very little charge.
In eastern India, shop owners take the risk of losing customers for two to four hours a day to make sure they are well rested in the afternoon.
What causes post-lunch drowsiness?
Factors explaining the geographical distribution of the siesta are warm temperatures and heavy intake of food at the midday meal. Combined, these two factors contribute to the feeling of post-lunch drowsiness as stated by several researchers. In many countries including India that practice the siesta, the summer heat can be unbearable in the early afternoon, thus a midday break at home is always welcome.
The timing of sleep in humans depends upon a balance between homeostatic sleep propensity that is the component of the sleep drive that is determined by the duration of waking. The homeostatic pressure of sleep starts growing upon awakening. Likewise, sleep time also depends on the need for sleep as a function of the amount of time elapsed since the last adequate sleep episode and circadian rhythms which determine the ideal timing of a correctly structured and restorative sleep episode. Research suggests that the circadian signal for wakefulness starts building in the (late) afternoon.
This is how people experience a dip when the drive for sleep has been building for hours and the drive for wakefulness has not yet started.
Benefits and perils of Siesta
As per research, the siesta habit has been associated with a 37 percent reduction in coronary mortality, possibly due to reduced cardiovascular stress mediated by daytime sleep.
Yet popular beliefs state that afternoon nap may lead to obesity. This is again contradicted by researchers stating the lifestyle of an individual to be more determinant of weight gain than napping. We even spend energy during sleep. But taking a brisk walk is always more beneficial metabolically than taking a nap.
Sadly many employees around the world ask their employers to avail of the time but aren’t lucky enough to get so. But then you are used to all the work. Just listen to your body and do the needful.
Are you used to taking a siesta every day?