What Is a Siesta? Siesta means “sixth hour” and has been used to indicate the period of time in the day when shops in Spain and other hot climates would close for a few hours in the afternoon . This closing allowed for people to eat, rest, and escape the heat.
Although traditional Spanish siestas can last for two hours or more to avoid the hot sunshine, most experts believe a short 10- to 20-minute nap is enough to improve health and productivity. Of course, if you don't get enough sleep at night, you'll need an afternoon nap even more.
This graph presents the distribution of bedtime hour during the week among French in 2019. It displays that 33 percent of respondents declared going to bed between 11 pm and 12 pm on weekdays.
The mid-day nap is a custom, especially when the weather is warm and days are long. New research reveals that while short “power naps” are healthy, repeated “long siestas” (over 30 minutes), can lead to obesity or metabolic syndrome, and may indicate an underlying health problem.
Traditionally, another important reason for the siesta was to beat the mid-day heat, particularly for workers in the fields. Spain and Italy are hardly alone in this — other countries close to the equator, like Greece, Mexico, Ecuador, the Philippines, Costa Rica and Nigeria, all observe similar hours.
But no other group of people takes their naps quite as seriously as those living in Spain. The siesta - which means "a midday or afternoon rest or nap" - has become a big part of Spanish culture. Many businesses in Barcelona and other parts of the country still shut down every day so that siestas can take place.
In French culture, dinner is the last and most important meal. It is generally served between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., but it can be as early as 6:00 p.m. if you live in Paris or another large city with active nightlife.
The convenience of electricity meant mealtimes extended later into the evening as we no longer rely on natural sunlight to cook and illuminate the dining table. French people usually eat a smaller meal for dinner, such as a soup or salad with bread and a dessert (often a yoghurt or a slice of cheese).
As for dinner, we're a bit more flexible. We don't eat as late as our Spanish neighbors by any means, but most people won't sit down to dinner before 8 p.m., and in most places, looking for a full dinner after 10:30 p.m. can get complicated, as well.
Nighttime Sleep Disruption: Taking a siesta, especially later in the day, can interfere with nighttime sleep patterns. If the nap is too close to bedtime, it may make it harder to fall asleep at night, leading to sleep deprivation and potential sleep disturbances.
Napping can also have negative effects, such as: Sleep inertia. You might feel groggy and disoriented after waking up from a nap. Nighttime sleep problems. Short naps generally don't affect nighttime sleep quality for most people.
There is quite some discussion going on about the effectiveness of the siesta, because often people tend to drink during their break and employees return to their jobs a bit tipsy.
A siesta is a Spanish name for a nap, and it occurs when we experience a circadian nadir often referred to as the “post-lunch dip”. During this period, it can be challenging to maintain cognitive vigilance, hence the culture of “siesta” in certain countries to allow for a nap.
The mind loves a nap. Daytime sleep can, “enhance creative thinking, boost cognitive processing, improve memory recall and generally clear out the cobwebs,” James Maas and Rebecca Robbins, co-founders of Sleep for Success, wrote in The New York Times.
If you arrive late, it is considered rude and the host may be offended. While that is the custom in America, it is not the custom around the world. In fact, in France, arriving on time to a dinner party is considered rude. The proper etiquette is to actually arrive around 15 minutes late to the party.
The three-meal pattern, with breakfast between 7 and 8:30 am, lunch between 12 and 1:30 pm and supper between 7 and 8:30 pm, is still followed by a majority of French people, while meal frequencies have flattened in other European or North-American countries [1–4].
A typical French breakfast consists of a croissant or bread with butter and jam and sometimes a sweet pastry. Fresh fruit juice and hot beverages, like coffee or tea, are also included.
Definition: Goûter v. to taste, n. a light meal in the afternoon. Goûter is an institution in France without a real equivalent in British culture. It's tea-time, almost religiously eaten at 4.30 pm, almost exclusively by children as they come out of school, consisting solely of sweet treats.
Foods that are a staple of the French diet include full-fat cheese and yogurt, butter, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables (often grilled or sautéed), small portions of meat (more often fish or chicken than red meat), wine, and dark chocolate.
While there is limited research on the health effects of sleeping naked, some studies do suggest potential benefits. Sleeping nude can help your core temperature cool faster, promote better sleep, and potentially improve vaginal health and male fertility.
People in Finland and the Netherlands get the most sleep. Both spend an average of 7:37 hours in bed. People in Belgium, Ireland and the UK also get at least 7.5 hours of sleep every day.
Where Did the Siesta Originate? Although most people associate the siesta with Spain, the practice actually originated with ancient Romans in Italy, where it is called a riposo. Similar midday nap breaks are common around the Mediterranean and in many Latin American countries, where the midday is often hot.
