Napping and Siesta - Benefits

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Our standard of monophasic sleep during the night is often considered the norm by physicians (Steger & Brunt, 2003). However, historically and internationally it is the exception. In addition to our monophasic culture of sleep, there is the siesta-culture and the napping-culture.

In a siesta-culture in addition to the sleep during the night a further rest period is established in the early afternoon. Not everybody sleeps but the social life comes to a stop. An example is Spain and several South American countries that hold a siesta for a few hours after a long lunch. This way, for one the human biorhythm is taken into account and also the midday heat is being avoided. The siesta is bound to the noon time and is traditionally only held at that particular time. However, globalization and the use of modern technology are showing their effects. The number of people napping is constantly decreasing due to changed work rules and the use of air conditioners (Booth, 2011).

In China napping is even established in the constitution. In article 49 of the Constitution from 1950 the Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong established the right of the working people to hold on to rest (De Mente, 1994). After Mao’s death, however, it was considered as a symbol of traditional Chinese culture as well as a sign of economic backwardness. Napping is still a daily activity in rural areas but in the cities the capitalism has turned people away from it. Taiwan has the same cultural roots but with a different political development: a very aggressive approach to the afternoon naps. Staring in elementary school after lunch and even in the work force at the desk people doze for about 10 minutes (Moore, 2007).

The siesta which is firmly bound to the noon time...

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...earch, 193(1), 79-86.

Moore, L. (2007, March 18). The Afternoon Nap Attack. U.S.News. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070318/26nap.htm

Steger, B. & Brunt, L. (2003). Night-time and sleep in Asia and the West: exploring the dark side of life. New York, NY: Routleg Curzon.

Stone, K. L.; Ewing, S. K.; Ensrud, K. E.; Redline, S.; Bauer, D. C.; Cauley, J. A.; Hillier, T. A.; & Cummings, S. R. (2009). Self-reported sleep and nap habits and risk of mortality in a large cohort of older women. The Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 57(4), 604-611.

Tamaki, M.; Shirota, A.; Tanaka, H.; Hayashi, M.; & Hori, T. (1999). Effects of a daytime nap in the aged. Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 53, 273-275.

Winterman, D. (2007, November 28). Are you getting enough? BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7114661.stm

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