What if you knew you’d be able to work in a nap every day? I wanted to briefly discuss the siesta, which is an awesome thing, and how it relates to the nap — they’re not necessarily one and the same, though there is some overlap, both in spirit and practice.
Some attribute siestas to heat in equatorial/tropical climates, as well as circadian rhythms more generally (we sort of touch on these here when we talk about chronotypes). Spain isn’t the only country that has a midday break, so when I say “siesta,” I’m using the term generically without specifically addressing nuances (see Wikipedia for more — my source for a lot of what I’m writing here anyway).
OK. So the siesta is common in Spain between 2 and 5pm, where many will eat lunch, GTD, nap (often on the couch, rather than in bed), or have tea. But not all people actually nap during a siesta.
Per Wikipedia, almost 16.2% of Spaniards surveyed in 2009 claimed to take a daily nap. Maybe that’s not as many people as you’d expect. But imagine if 16.2% of Americans — almost 54 million people — took a daily nap. The US would be a much better place. I need to move to Spain.
It’s also worth noting that Spain’s working day typically goes until 8pm or so. Working that late is common in the US corporate world — that’s even early in a lot of places — but the typical workday here ends around 5-6pm. Qué malo.