Could a Siesta Save Your Life? By Suzanne Laurie

April 10, 2012 | In Health, News

We all know the Mediterraneans are a seemingly healthy bunch but is their diet really enough to offset all the coffee and cigarettes or is the key to their long life actually down to a love of afternoon naps?

According to Dr. Rubin Naiman, a clinical psychologist and expert in integrative approaches to sleep and dreams, we’re actually biologically programmed to nap during the day, typically in the middle of the afternoon. Many Mediterraneans still adhere to this old tradition and escape the searing afternoon temperatures with a leisurely nap – before working later into the evening. However, due to our work schedules (and also feeling a bit lazy if we consider having a kip!) when the urge to nap sets in during the day, we alleviate it with coffee and sweet treats.

In the last few years we have learned a great deal about the importance of sleep and the potentially harmful affects of a chronic lack of adequate slumber, with a lack of sleep now being linked to both insulin resistance and diabetes. It is now believed that too few hours in bed may also double the risk of angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke. As the Spanish have actually been found to sleep less hours at night than any other nation, perhaps it is their daily siesta that really is saving their lives!

Unfortunately, Dr Naiman believes that, by fighting the urge to sleep during the day, we are training your body to resist the urge to sleep at all, which can then lead to an inability to fall asleep at night. It may also be the reason that some individuals are still fighting the urge for a nap way into the evening and find it hard not to fall asleep in front of the TV. Unfortunately if sleep wins out at that stage of the evening then falling asleep once you go to bed may be harder than ever!

Interestingly it appears that we should not worry when we wake during the night as, in the past, it was considered perfectly normal to wake for an hour or two. This is believed to stem back from a time when every individual in a community would need to do ‘night watch’. Dr Naiman believes that it may be perfectly normal to wake for brief periods up to 5 times per night and if we factor this time into our night’s sleep and more importantly relax about it, it may help reduce insomnia – as the worry associated with being awake may cause the stress that keeps us awake.

Now obviously not everyone can factor a siesta into his or her working day but perhaps those who can should. If this is indeed part of our natural sleep cycle then the following tips may help you squeeze in a few more minutes:

  • If you are self employed or work from home consider whether a siesta could be a viable part of your day. Set your alarm clock, turn off your phone and make sure you have blackout blinds. Even with only an hour for lunch with a bit of organising you could set an adequate 30 minutes kip.
  • If a lunchtime nap is out of the question aim for a quick nap after work to recharge your batteries for the evening and stop the urge to fall asleep in front of the TV.
  • Consider adding siestas into your weekend routine instead of long lie-ins which tend to be broken light sleep anyway (particularly true after alcohol!).
  • If you can find a way for a quick nap at work then do go and hide in a meeting room or in your car. Remember – your lunch hour should be yours to do with as you please so don’t feel guilty or embarrassed!
  • When on holiday do as the Mediterraneans do – incorporate plenty of afternoon sleeping into your day!

For more information on sleep go to:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/09/dr-rubin-naiman-on-how-much-sleep-do-you-need.aspx?e_cid=20120409_DNL_art_1

or for some great tips for insomniacs try:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/02/secrets-to-a-good-night-sleep.aspx

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