{siesta}

{mid-day nap}

In my previous post, I mentioned the daily siesta that we are encouraged to practice as we dive into the Italian culture.


A little insight about the siesta...

Having a siesta makes people work more and better

Workplace napping is a natural, no-cost way to increase worker productivity. Employers should allow (and even encourage) workers to nap on their work breaks.

Doctors, researchers and scientists (at Nasa) have finally quantified the benefits of the daily nap. It has been found that having a nap of 30 minutes in the middle of a working day recharge our brain, increase memory, concentration and so human productivity of 34%.

We Italians nap since the Roman times – at least. It’s more a physical need than a culture use. Have two hours for lunch break is generally the normal and taking a nap after lunch is common and natural for 50% of Italians – in hot summers it becomes more epidemic.

“Siesta” is always been connected to Latin countries and considered a sign of laziness – by Northern Europeans. The word itself come from Latin and means the sixth hour (of light), which is around midday. But everyone knows – in the south of Europe – a good nap does wonders for your productivity.

{more here}