Sleeping is universal. No matter what language you speak, what religion you practice, what politics you favor, or what time zone you live in, all people rely on sleep for survival. However, in some parts of the world the practice of sleeping is a part of their culture and tradition.
Let’s take for example Spain, where proper napping is so important to their society that it has become a part of their daily lives. A siesta by definition is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often following the midday meal. This concept of a siesta is the traditional daytime sleep in Spain and many other Hispanic American countries (especially those where the weather is warm). It is accustomed that during the hottest hours of the day, school is temporarily released and storeowners as well as places of businesses close their shops and buildings in order to go home for a break to nap. The heat in these areas dramatically reduces work productivity around this time of day, so the society collectively decides to all rest during the same time in order to ultimately increase efficiency when continuing with work after the snooze.
Other countries such as the United States though are not so culturally accepting of the importance of naps. Our society strongly values consistent hard work and achievement (allowing ourselves little time for respite). We encourage staying up all hours of the night and relying on caffeine in order to finish projects and assignments at all costs. This concept of a siesta is almost joke-able and hard to believe in a country that is always pushing our bodies past the limits to reach certain goals in our careers. Although this idea of scheduling our lives around napping may seem absurd, it is important to note the health benefits and rejuvenation that these people receive as a result to finish out their workdays.
I really like the idea of culturally-endorsed siestas. Naps are so essential, especially for students, but they are often looked down upon as a sign or laziness or procrastination. I think that Spain has it right! Naps can have so many positive effects and they should not be overlooked. The U.S., in my opinion, moves to quickly and is too stressed out overall. Wouldn’t it be great if we had nation-wide naps? Maybe then people would learn to slow down and enjoy life instead of just rushing through it.
I really like this post because I am a firm believer in naps. I have really awful sleeping habits, and it doesn’t help that I also have hours of school work every night on top to meetings and other extracurriculars. So, most of my sleep comes from the after-class crash that happens on a regular basis. I think that naps are a good way to relieve stress from our constantly busy days and just take an hour or two to totally relax and not worry about everything that is going on around us. Although my method may not be the best/most healthy, I think we, as Americans, can learn a lot from Spain and their scheduled relaxation.
After visiting Spain for my graduation present this past summer, I really started to embrace the napping during the day lifestyle. The first day that we were there it was strange for my family to see cities go quiet in the middle of the day, but after awhile we started taking naps and engaging in the nightlife. I really wish that America had this same style of living, for I think that it does encourage healthy sleeping habits and keeping one’s self rejuvenated throughout the day. I’m so glad that you decided to write about this!