"Humans have a predisposition to experience a drop in alertness and vigilance around midday, between six and eight hours after waking up. In fact, the word siesta comes from the Latin sexta, which in Ancient Rome referred to the sixth hour of the day from dawn; a time reserved for rest and relaxation. There are many markers we measure in the laboratory which indicate that this period is present, even without having eaten lunch, he states."
"But what should a siesta really be like, so as to be truly effective and beneficial? Well, for a long time, the collective imagination was dominated by the idea that a siesta should involve putting on pajamas, reciting prayers and using a chamber pot a saying popularized by Nobel laureate Camilo Jose Cela. That is, a siesta should be a long, deep sleep."
Humans have a biological predisposition to a midday drop in alertness and vigilance approximately six to eight hours after waking. The term siesta originates from Latin sexta, the sixth hour after dawn traditionally reserved for rest. High daytime temperatures in Southern Europe and Latin America align with this biological dip, encouraging midday rest. Climate change and heat waves are likely to expand siesta practices; some health bodies have recommended summer naps to cope with heat and maintain productivity. Contemporary medical guidance favors short, strategic naps because long naps increase sleep inertia, although long naps remain useful for night shift workers.
Read at english.elpais.com
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