Origin of the Siesta

When we think of siesta we immediately think of Spain but the siesta actually originated in Italy. Siesta is a time when Spain shuts down and everyone goes home for their mid-day nap. Here’s a little history about what a Siesta is.

Siesta is a Spanish word derived from the Latin phrase “sexta hora” which means sixth hour or noon. Many countries especially those with hot climates tend to practice the siesta and it’s not just used for sleeping. A siesta is a midday nap that occurs roughly 6 hours after dawn, between 2 pm and 5 pm.

Businesses shut down with the exception of bars, restaurants and large department stores allowing people to eat and run errands. Workers return to work and business continues till around 8 pm.

In Mexico, Ecuador, and Nigeria around 60% to 80% of the people practice siesta at least 4 times per week, even in the United States you’ll find 40% to 50% of people in Florida will take a siesta at least once a week.

Studies have found that taking a 20 minute nap, the so called “power nap” is good for you, it reduces sleepiness, boosts your mood, reaction time and cognitive function.

Now where did it all start? It might have been started by the Romans giving the name its Latin origins. The siesta started as a way to give outside workers a break from the afternoon heat, grab something to eat and have a rest so they refreshed and able to carry on working well into the evening.

In the 1930’s after the Spanish Civil War it became common for people to work 2 jobs, siestas gave people a chance to rest and eat before heading off to the next job.

As we evolve and move into a more modern age siestas seemed to have decreased. With longer daily commutes, air conditioning keeping offices and buildings cool, it seems impractical to go home for lunch and a nap.

Siestas are incompatible with the global economy, leaving mid-day and returning later throws a typical working day out of sync with other European countries.

The Spanish government has made moves to shorten the work day, 8 am to 5 or 6 pm enabling Spanish businesses to better integrate with the rest of the European economy as well as giving their people more time to rest in the evenings.

While there are less official time set for siestas, people still take part in the tradition may it be for a long lunch or just to go shopping.

Is a siesta good for you? It depends on whether you take a short power nap or a long sleep. Taking a 10 to 30 minute nap can be refreshing, boost alertness, learning ability and cognitive performance for up to 3 hours after.

Longer naps can leave you drowsy, it lowers your productivity and reduces your sleep drive making it more difficult to fall asleep later at night.

Studies have found that daily siestas as well as longer siesta time were both associated with a higher risk of heart attack, another study found that taking siestas doubled your mortality risk.

However, a recent study has found that, if you’re healthy, a regular siesta may actually reduce your risk of death from coronary heart disease and heart attack by up to 37%. These findings only hold for short siestas of 30 minutes or less. Longer siestas of over two hours are still associated with a higher risk of mortality, from heart disease or another cause.

Studies show that taking a 20-minute nap in the afternoon is actually good for you since it reduces sleepiness, boosts cognitive function, and improves one’s mood and reaction time. According to the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians, taking a short sleep lunch can improve your cardiovascular function, memory, alertness, and fight off stress.

An optimal nap time is 26 minutes which is based on the findings of NASA, who researched the practice by having their pilots nap for 26 minutes. The result was an increase in efficiency. The National Sleep Foundation in the United States found that taking short naps can actually make you more alert for a sustained period of time compared to those who do not snooze after lunch.

Herewith a few other countries and their napping cultures:

China, the lines between bedroom and workspace are becoming increasingly blurred in factories and offices across China due to longer working hours. Employers advocate a short nap after lunchtime to increase concentration.

Japan, Due to the hectic lifestyle of Japan’s city dwellers it has led to the uptake of “inemuri”, or “sleeping whilst present”. Thanks to inemuri, Japanese workers can now nap on public transport, at their desk or even during meetings.

Italy, the Italians have “riposo” that can last anywhere from 2-4 hours, but due to the non-stop pace of a modern industry it means that fewer and fewer office workers are able to benefit from a midday snooze.

Indonesia, fear sleep, locally referred to as “todoet poeles”. Locals practice fear sleep enabling them to nod off instantly avoiding feelings of excessive anxiety and stress.

Botswana, we all know you should sleep when it’s dark, correct? Not in Botswana. The country’s native Kung hunter-gatherer tribe are known for sleeping only when they tired, regardless of the time of day.

USA, not a national custom just yet, but sleeping on the job is widely being embraced by some of the USA’s biggest employers. Software and Technology companies are leading the napping revolution, firms like Google are going so far as to have purpose-built sleeping pods installed to help employees rest and feel refresh.

No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap. — Carrie Snow