siesta time...
It has been described as, refreshing, blissful, invigorating, an escape, and even a ...renewal of all the vital forces (Churchill).
Dagwood Bumstead takes an apparent much needed siesta every time the need arises, no matter the place or time of day.
When D-Day forces landed, Hitler was asleep. It was 6:30 in the morning. Not exactly a nap, but no one dared wake him.
DaVinci replaced real sleep with 15-minute naps every four hours.
Former President Bill Clinton was known to nap at any time. He was caught on camera napping during President Reagan's funeral.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was purportedly hard as nails and lived on only four hours of sleep a night with a scheduled one hour nap in the middle of the afternoon.
Lady Gaga apparently falls asleep at random at the drop of a hat. She can be sitting in a chair and immediately drift off as she did during a live interview with Vogue Magazine.
Novelist Franz Kafka was a biphasic sleeper. He went to bed at 6am and woke at 9am. He then took a four hour nap from 3:30pm to 7:30pm.
In his book, The Gathering Storm, Churchill wrote, Nature has not intended mankind to work from 8 o'clock in the morning to midnight without that refreshment of blessed oblivion...even if it only lasts 20 minutes.
Aristotle, Thomas Edison, Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, Einstein, and John Kennedy all succumbed to the daily ritual of taking a siesta.
And, so do most of us.
HUH? What's up with that?
Some countries, like Spain, literally shut down from 2-5pm every weekday. Their workday is extended to 8 o'clock to accommodate siesta time.
However, global and European economies are demanding adjustments so business can be conducted during the course of a regular business day, including during Siesta time. That three hour window may be closing.
This phenomenon known simply as taking a nap, can occur at any time of the day. Or, not.
I have maybe taken three naps in my adult life, said Andrea McKeeman, Media Specialist at Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Two of those times were after I gave birth and the third time, I had a fever of 103.
However, her husband, Matt, a Journeyman Pipefitter is 53 and gets up at 4:30 every day to be downtown by 6 in the morning.
He can fall asleep anywhere, Andrea said. He likes the sofa in our bonus room because it's cool, dark, quiet and has a large screen TV. She added, He can nap for 30 minutes or two hours.
Retired Louisville, Kentucky Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Paul Sherman was asked how he likes his recent retirement. His response? Naps are a good thing.
Jim Corey is 72 and owns a mortgage company in Birmingham, Alabama. He still works eight hours a day.
I've napped for 25 years, he stated. I have a couch in my office and around noon, I shut the door and immediately go to sleep for 15-20 minutes. I wake up and feel great!
Jody George of Indianapolis says she seldom naps.
But, when I do, it's usually late afternoon while I'm reading, she says. I'd say it's just a time when I unplug and relax. If I fall asleep, that's a bonus. For me, it's more about quiet, peace, and letting go.
78 year old, Jim Zoch lives in Yountville, California. Wine country.
Of course, I nap almost every afternoon after an early morning start of breakfast, lots of coffee and reading the news online, he admitted. That's all followed by a 10-mile bike ride around Yountville.
That's a pretty impressive morning and start to your day.
It is, he conceded. I like to shower, clean up, think about my dinner menu and read on the couch. During this reading time, I most often drift into unconsciousness, a pleasure that is near to a psychedelic experience, called a nap.
Sounds like a nap is essential.
Napping is the closest thing to ecstasy I know, without the hangover and from which I derive energy and comfort, he agreed. I awake refreshed with all my worries and anxieties gone.
Dr. Aris Latridis, a sleep medicine specialist and pulmonologist at Piedmont agrees with Mr. Zoch.
If you get drowsy after lunch or in the afternoon, the best thing you can do is take a nap. You will feel refreshed, he says. Our physiology plays a role in our desire for a siesta.
Dr. Latridis went on to explain, There have been medical studies that look at the level of people's alertness over a 24 hour cycle. People are usually the sleepiest around 5am and again at 3pm. A quick nap can help combat irritability and increase energy and productivity.
A NASA study found that a 40-minute nap boosted alertness by 100 percent and performance by 34 percent in tired astronauts and military pilots.
Need another reason to take a quick afternoon nap? Studies show it can lower heart stress.
Coming up: Meet some more POS who share their Bucket List; and, the Kentucky Derby is less than 100 days away!
And, finally, how long of a nap is enough for you to reenergize? It probably varies in individuals, but you have to love what former New York Yankee great, Yogi Berra said on the subject. Ever since I retired, I take a two hour nap every day from 1 to 4.
Comments