All the most interesting about the siesta in the countries of southern Europe. Siesta in Spain

Sleep is necessary for our body, but sometimes thoughts arise that the time spent on it could be more useful. But here's the problem - if you sleep 3-4 hours a day, instead of the recommended eight, your health leaves much to be desired. Multi-phase short-term rest is an alternative to a long sleep that takes all night and a total “lack of sleep”. About the pros and cons of the regime and how to switch to polyphasic sleep, read below.

Although the term "polyphasic sleep" was introduced only at the beginning of the 20th century, it is believed that this method of restoring strength is more than one hundred years old. Many great personalities are cited as an example as people who managed to sleep 3-4 hours a day and achieve breathtaking results in their field. Napoleon Bonaparte went to bed at about 22-23 hours, woke up at 2, was awake until 5 in the morning, and then fell asleep again until 7. Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher spent no more than 4-5 hours a day hugging Morpheus. And the famous inventor Nikola Tesla, according to some reports, fell asleep for only 2 hours at night, and 20 minutes during the day.

It's important to know! Leonardo da Vinci is considered the main adept of polyphasic sleep. According to legend, in order to realize all his plans, he reduced it to 20 minutes, resorting to such a rest every 4 hours of wakefulness.

Features of polyphasic sleep

One of the main arguments of fans of the theory of the naturalness of such a dream sounds like this: animals and babies rest in this way. Official medicine is in no hurry to open this seemingly incredible time-saving system for humanity. Despite the abundance of positive reviews, many people, when trying to switch to "polyphase", note negative consequences for the body.

Definition of the term

Habitual rest, starting with an evening sleep and ending with morning awakening, is called monophasic, that is, whole. Polyphasic is a dream consisting of several segments (“poly” from Greek - numerous). The bottom line is that these segments should be strictly the same, but last no more than four hours. At the same time, about 20-30 minutes are allotted for sleep itself.

The school curriculum explains that sleep is divided into several repetitive phases:

• Slow takes about 70 minutes. At this time, the body relaxes, energy is restored;
• Rapid (REM) lasts 15-20 minutes. It promotes relaxation of the brain, during this period dreams appear.

It is the second phase that is considered necessary for a full recovery. And the first, long one, can theoretically be excluded without loss to the body. Fans of "polyphase" in this matter are moving from theory to practice. They train their body to skip the slow stage as soon as possible and immediately proceed to the fast one. In this way, instead of going to bed late and getting up early, and leaving the body without the REM sleep it needs, a person fully “pours out” his entire daily norm.

It's important to know! Using polyphasic sleep, in total, a person spends no more than three hours a day on it. Sleep for 20 minutes every 4 hours adds up to six equal cycles.

Purposes of application

The nuance of the system is that chaotic falling asleep for 15 minutes during the day again returns a person to a state of constant fatigue. To reduce rest time and at the same time remain productive is possible only in case of strict adherence to the regime. Therefore, you can contact her if possible.

The technique is suitable for freelancers who work from home and prefer to devote night hours to work. It can be successfully used by housewives or students. For a mother on maternity leave, this method is hardly suitable, since her wakefulness depends on the child, and not on the alarm clock.

It is logical not to turn your whole life into following a minute-by-minute routine, but to switch to “polyphase” when necessary. For example, if you are preparing to create an important project that will take a lot of time.

health hazard

Physicians and biologists disagree about polyphasic sleep. Scientists who say that after the advent of electricity, a person no longer depends on the change of day and night, are positive about this practice.

It's important to know! Studies of polyphasic sleep and related practical studies demonstrate that a person can live in such a mode for at least five months without harm to the body. And scientist Claudio Stampi says that such a system returns humanity to nature, and our ancient ancestors existed exactly according to such a schedule.

But most doctors insist that it is necessary to observe the biological rhythm that depends on the sun. This scientific opinion is supported by deterioration in well-being, which manifests itself when trying to sleep “polyphasically”:

But those for whom the experiment was successful argue that polyphasic sleep is harmful only if the regime is not followed, and poor health disappears after a period of adaptation.

Due to the fact that the process of entering the mode does not go unnoticed for health, adolescents are not recommended to conduct such experiments on themselves.

Polyphasic sleep options

There are many sleep techniques that are polyphasic. The simplest of them is Siesta. It turns out that many observe it unconsciously. This is an option when a person rests 5-6 hours at night and an additional hour and a half after dinner. Naturally, you need to go to bed at the same time.

Other modes of entering polyphasic sleep, the technique of which is more complicated:

1. "Everyman". We sleep once at night for 2-3 hours + three times for 20-minute rests during the day.
2. Biphasic: Sleep 6 hours at night and 20 minutes during the day.
3. "Dymaxion": sleep 4 times for 30 minutes every 6 hours.
4. Triphasic: we sleep twice for 2.5 hours during the day + again for 20 minutes.
5. Uberman: Sleep 6 times every 4 hours.
6. Teslovski: we sleep 2 hours at night and once 20 minutes during the day.

What time to sleep is an individual choice of a person. It is better to calculate on the calculator when you need to rest, and when you can stay awake.

Application in practice

The complexity of the system is that it is impossible to change abruptly from “monophase” to “polyphase”. The adaptation period lasts from 7 to 10 days.

Preparatory stage

This is the most difficult stage of the transition to a new regime. A person should be prepared for the fact that during this time he will feel like a “sleepy fly”, the perception of reality will worsen, so it is better not to plan serious things for this period. Coffee, which may seem like a lifesaver to many, produces a short-term effect, in return prolonging the addiction period for a few more days.

Moving to the next level

Gradually, by about 10-14 days, the body gets used to "switching off" only in the allotted periods and does not require additional rest. By this time, the body changes its attitude not only to sleep, but also to food intake. Foods that used to be part of the daily diet may no longer seem appetizing, while others, on the contrary, you want to eat. It is important to listen to the desires of your body and satisfy them, and not try to use the old rules in the new regime.

Also at this stage, there is a feeling of "stretching" of time, a person no longer notes the change of day and night. Someone considers this a positive aspect, and some researchers attribute it to the development of a mental disorder.

Return to monophasic sleep

Those who have tried various methods of "polyphase", including sleeping for 15 minutes every 4 hours, claim that they stopped their experiment not because they felt unwell, but because the new regimen did not coincide with the rhythm of other people's lives. But most experimenters return to "monophase" at the stage of adaptation because they cannot cope with weakness and fatigue, which invariably reduces the tester's work productivity for this period. There is no mention of any health problems during the reverse transition.

American blogger and coach Steve Pavlina, who has been practicing polyphasic sleep for about 5 and a half months, gives beginners the following recommendations:

1. Set a timer for the time you need to wake up.
2. Find something interesting to do during your waking hours so you don't have to focus on being tired.
3. If the transition is very difficult, give yourself an extra 20 minutes of sleep during the day.
4. Try not to eat meat and other heavy foods before bed.
5. Focus on the reason and motivation behind the new practice. It must be weighty enough.

Also during the adaptation period, Pavlina refused important work and did not sit on the steering wheel. A user of the Russian entertainment resource "Peekaboo", who has tested the technique for himself, gives the following advice:

1. Try not to eat 3 hours before bed. With a full stomach, it is impossible to get enough sleep in a short time. Eat food after waking up.
2. Drink plenty of clean water. Not tea or drinks, but water.
3. If you don’t fall asleep immediately in the allocated 20 minutes, just lie down with your eyes closed and relax. Gradually, the body gets used to quickly "switch off".
4. Looking for something to do at night. It doesn't have to be mentally demanding things in the first stage, because the body is still "sleepy".
5. Avoid alcohol completely.

The user of another popular Internet resource "Habr" stopped his experiment due to the fact that already at the stage of adaptation, his heart problems that had begun before intensified.

The more active a person's lifestyle, the harder it will be for him to exist in the "polyphase" mode. For athletes, this is almost impossible, since such a rest gives a full recovery to the brain, but not to the body that has not endured the load.

Opinions on the technique of polyphasic sleep

Academician, MD Alexander Vein, author of the book Sleep and Wake Disorders, believed that a person should calculate the time for rest individually. You need to listen to your body during the day, calculating the time when you most want to sleep. At this point, according to Wayne, you need to lie down for 1-2 hours. Another 2-3 hours the doctor recommended to “fill up” at midnight. He considered such a technique, in which sleep is given 4-5 hours, effective and acceptable for the human body.

Piotr Wozniak, on the basis of his research, argues that polyphasic sleep is not natural for the body and leads to a decrease in physical and mental activity. He notes that all the experimenters could not relax, and were forced to constantly work during their waking moments in order not to “turn off”. According to Wozniak, this categorically does not help the development of creative abilities or the normal learning process.

Advice! Most doctors and scientists are positive about the idea of ​​extra rest during the day. But they are not advised to give up the night “monophase”, switching to hard modes like “Uberman”.

Conclusion

Theoretically, the idea of ​​fifteen minutes of sleep is quite enticing. If you manage to overcome the addiction period, you can get an almost super ability to stay awake for 20-23 hours. On the other hand, it will be difficult to use it, because such a regime requires relentless strict adherence and most often does not coincide with work, study, family and friends.

It is better to refer to the idea of ​​polyphasic sleep periodically, for example, when it becomes necessary to complete work on a tight deadline. The main thing to remember is that you need to start the experiment a week earlier. Adherents of the new regime will also have to give up alcohol, caffeine and night snacks.

There is a belief that polyphasic sleep techniques can increase the amount of time you are awake and reduce the amount of time you spend sleeping up to 4 or 6 hours a night, and possibly even up to 2.

Polyphasic sleep is the practice of sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period, usually more than twice, as opposed to biphasic sleep (twice a day) or monophasic sleep (once a day).

There are currently no studies on polyphasic sleep. Few activists try these polyphasic sleep techniques on themselves.

The most common polyphasic sleep techniques, there are 5 of them:

1. "Dymaxion". Sleep only 2 hours a day. 30 minutes of sleep every 6 hours.

2. "Uberman". Sleep like in Dymaxion only 2 hours a day, only here you need to sleep 20 minutes every 4 hours.

3. "Everyman". Here it is supposed to sleep 2-3 hours at night and 3 times a day for 20 minutes.

4. "Siesta". A very common technique in which you need to sleep 1 hour at lunchtime and once at night for a duration of 5 hours.

5. Tesla. Afternoon nap - 20 minutes and 2 hours of sleep at night.

Let's take a closer look at these polyphasic sleep techniques.

1. Dymaxion.

The term "Dymaxion" means the concept of using technologies and resources to their maximum power with a minimum use of resources.

The Dymaxion sleep schedule involves sleeping 4 times a day for 30 minutes, every 6 hours, usually at or around the 6 o'clock mark.

So, sleep at 6 am, 12 noon, 6 pm and 12 am for about 30 minutes. Of course, this is consistent with the general concepts of polyphasic sleep.

Obviously, this translates into a total of 2 hours of nap time, the same amount obtained with Uberman's polyphasic sleep technique. It turns out that the body simply needs the absolute minimum of 2 hours of sleep each day.

The scientists found that many had problems following this sleep schedule. It is believed that the break between sleeps at 6 hours is difficult to adapt, and 30 minutes of sleep is more of an adjustment.

2. Uberman

Many believe that Leonardo da Vinci took control of time throughout the day with Uberman's polyphasic sleep technique. At least part of his life he did not devote to a normal night's sleep. In general, the beliefs of some about how Da Vinci slept is the basis for Uberman's polyphasic sleep technique.

The Uberman sleep schedule consists of 6 sleep parts of 20 minutes in equal increments. Every 4 hours there is a 20-minute sleep, we can say that a person only has time to take a nap during this time.

That's all. No other sleep at night.

Adapting to such a regime is extremely difficult. If you or someone you know is going to try out polyphasic sleep, it's worth looking into other, simpler polyphasic sleep techniques first before moving on to the Uberman technique.

3. Everyman (everyman sleep).

The term "Everyman" was coined by the same person who coined the term Uberman.

Most people work during the day. A relatively normal working day is 8 hours, although many people work a little more.

Many polyphasic sleep techniques are very inconvenient. Everyman is designed to work around the normal life of people.

It consists of a period of sleep at night, when people are already accustomed to sleeping, and then a limited number of naps during the day, usually three.

In the "traditional" Everyman technique, the sleep schedule is a basic period of 3 hours of sleep from 1 am to 4 am, followed by 20 minutes each at 9 am, 2 pm, and 9 pm.

But, for a working person, a more suitable sleep schedule is from about 11 pm to 2 am, then 20 minutes at 7 am, at 12 pm, and at 6 pm.

If you're interested or just want to experiment with polyphasic sleep but aren't sure if you can do it, then the Everyman technique might be a good choice for you.

4. Siesta.

Siesta is the most common polyphasic sleep technique and involves two separate segments of sleep during the day - once at night, and once in the middle of the day.

There are three different biphasic graphs.

"Power Siesta" which schedules sleep for 20 minutes in the middle of the day and 5-6 hours at night, and the more common "Long Siesta" with 4.5-5.5 hours of sleep at night and 60-90 minutes of sleep during of the day, and of course segmented sleep (which we will not talk about in this article).

5 Tesla.

Tesla is one of the greatest inventors in the world, he claimed to get only 2-3 hours of sleep a day.

“I don’t think there is a better feeling that goes through the human heart than that I felt like an inventor when you see the creation in the brain and everything unfolds to success ... such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, all."
~ Nikola Tesla.

This method involves being awake for almost 22 hours every day: sleeping 1.5 - 2 hours a day and taking a nap for 15 - 20 minutes every four hours of wakefulness. If Tesla claims to have only slept 2 or so hours a day, he may have tried this method too.

Tesla is often compared to another famous inventor, Thomas Edison, who claims to get only 4-5 hours of sleep per night.

So we looked at the most common polyphasic sleep techniques, before you start using these techniques, it is worth remembering that the side effects of polyphasic sleep have not yet been fully studied.

Polyphasic sleep is one of the sleep patterns that does not involve the traditional eight hours of sleep all night (monophasic sleep), but several planned and well-defined sleep periods throughout the 24 hours. As a result, you sleep much more often (several times a day), but less in time. Supporters of the polyphasic sleep regimen are pleased that they have several hours of free time per day, which they used to inevitably spend on sleep. However, it is worth noting that this sleep mode is not suitable for everyone. Sometimes the military and some athletes resort to polyphasic sleep.

Steps

Part 1

Graphs with the main night segment of sleep

Choose the sleep mode that suits you best. In the course of preparation, you need to understand which mode suits you best, based on your goal, schedule of classes or work, as well as the general condition of the body. There are four main modes of polyphasic sleep:

• Biphasic sleep, Everyman mode, Dymaxion mode and Uberman.
• Two of them are designed for sleep both at night and during the day. These include biphasic sleep and Everyman mode.
• The easiest and safest way to switch to polyphasic sleep is to start by cutting back on nighttime sleep using one of these modes.

1. Consider biphasic sleep. The essence of this mode is that the sleep time is divided into two segments. Usually, the longer segment falls at night, and the smaller segment (20-30 minutes or 90 minutes long) falls on the first half of the day. In many cultures, this sleep routine is widely used because it not only saves time on sleep, but is also a neutral option in terms of health.

   • The shorter the daytime segment of sleep (a nap that allows you to recuperate), the longer the night segment will be (during which all phases of sleep pass, including REM sleep).
   • Biphasic sleep has a number of advantages over other polyphasic sleep patterns because it matches circadian rhythms and hormonal releases that help regulate sleep. Thanks to them, our body has adapted to sleep more at night than during the day.
   • Biphasic sleep is described in history as "first" and "second" sleep. In a time when people did not know how to use electricity, people slept for several hours immediately after dark, then were awake for several hours, and then went to bed again and woke up already at dawn with the first rays of the sun.
   • However, biphasic sleep is hardly suitable for those who want to free up as much time as possible for wakefulness, because in terms of sleep duration, this mode does not differ very much from the usual monophasic sleep pattern.

2. A handy benefit is the ability to create your own biphasic sleep schedule. Your sleep schedule will depend on your school and work schedule, as well as your overall health. Thus, you can get the most out of this mode and adapt it exactly for yourself.

   • So, break your sleep time into two segments. Each segment of sleep should be long enough to allow enough time for REM sleep. Usually a person needs about 5-6 periods of REM sleep during the day.
   • One normal sleep cycle (including REM sleep) takes about 90 minutes. Make a schedule that each segment of sleep will include 90-minute cycles.
   • For example, your main sleep segment will last from 1 AM to 4:30 AM, and the second sleep segment could last 1.5 hours (from 12 PM to 1:30 PM) or 3 hours (from 12 PM to 3:00 PM). It all depends on your schedule and capabilities.
   • Once you are more or less accustomed to the new schedule, try to gradually reduce your sleep time until the sleep is short enough, but you still feel good and alert.
   • There should be a break between sleep segments (at least 3 hours).
   • It is important not to oversleep and not fall asleep ahead of time. Try to stick to your sleep schedule for at least a week before making any changes to it.

3. Consider the Everyman mode. This mode consists of a main sleep segment (about three hours) and three additional segments of 20 minutes each. If you still want to switch to polyphasic sleep, which will save even more time for being awake, this option will most likely suit you. This mode is easier to transition to as it still has the main 3 hour segment.

   Start gradually moving towards your schedule. Try to stick with it for at least a week. You will most likely have problems at first, because adjusting to a polyphasic sleep pattern is not so easy. Once you've adjusted and gotten a little used to your new schedule, you can break your 5 hours of sleep into 3 segments.

   • In this case, the main segment of sleep can last about 4 hours, and the additional two segments of 30 minutes each. If you work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., split these segments so that they fall at lunch time and at the time you return from work.
   • Try to stick to the chosen mode for at least a week. Don't change the mode until you get used to it.
   • After a week or two, you can adjust your sleep schedule by shortening the main sleep segment and adding another segment.
   • In the end, if you keep adjusting your sleep pattern, you will achieve the following result: the main segment of sleep (3.5 hours) + three more segments of 20 minutes each.
   • Distribute the time of sleep and wakefulness in such a way that it matches your study / work schedule as much as possible.

4. Stick to a sleep schedule. Try to strictly follow it, do not wake up and do not go to bed early. At first, it will not be easy, because the body will begin to adapt to the new regimen.

   • Don't worry if you can't stick to your routine at first. Some people find it harder to fall asleep, especially if every minute of sleep counts.
   • If you choose Everyman mode, be sure to stick to your schedule. Plan ahead for when you need to get ready for bed.
   • Plan in advance what you will do in your free time. It is unlikely that others also adhere to a polyphasic sleep pattern. Prepare ahead of time and make a to-do list. Focus on what you always wanted to do, but each time you did not have enough time for it. This will help you adjust to your new sleep pattern.

5. Adjust your schedule to suit you best. A very popular schedule is the division of sleep time into 4 segments, as already described above (the main segment of sleep and three additional ones). If necessary, you can adjust this schedule by rearranging the sleep segments to a different time.

   • This sleep pattern can be followed by other schedules.
   • According to one chart, a night's sleep is reduced to 1.5 hours (instead of four), and there are 5 additional twenty-minute segments. There should be equal intervals between them.

   Part 2

   Graphs without the main night sleep segment

   1. So, if you're willing to take the risk of cutting your sleep hours even further, consider switching to Uberman or Dymaxion modes. Both methods involve the rejection of the main segment of sleep (night). If you've already adjusted enough to your previous sleep schedule and want to try something even more extreme, you can switch to one of these modes. Keep in mind, according to these charts, sleep time is only 2 hours per night.

      • A significant disadvantage of these modes is the difficulty of observing the sleep schedule, since you need to adhere to the schedule very clearly.
      • Before switching to these modes, consider whether you can keep a sleep schedule every day (depending on school, work and family plans).
      • As mentioned above, these sleep patterns require about 2 hours of sleep per night.

   2. Make a schedule according to Uberman mode. It includes six sleep segments of 20 minutes each. There should be equal time intervals between these segments. The schedule must be strictly adhered to.

      • For example, you can arrange sleep segments as follows: 1:00 am, 5:00 am, 9:00 am, 1:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 9:00 pm.
      • It is very important to sleep exactly 20 minutes and exactly according to the established schedule.
      • Uberman mode suggests 20 minutes of sleep every 4 hours.
      • If you find it very difficult to keep yourself awake, try to focus on your plans and the to-do list that you made in advance.

   3. Now consider the Dymaxion mode. It is very similar to the Uberman regime, but it is even more difficult to follow. The reason is that, there are fewer sleep segments, but they are longer in time.

   Part 3

   How to Prepare for Polyphasic Sleep

   1. Learn to nap. The essence of polyphasic sleep is the division of the entire sleep time into several segments. As a result, such sleep takes less time than normal monophasic sleep. If you're going to try out this sleep pattern, it's important to stick to your schedule exactly.

      • Get into the habit of getting up earlier than usual, and during the day, don't be afraid to give in to the temptation to take a nap after dinner.
      • Try to turn off your computer and gadgets at least 15 minutes before bedtime so that the bright light of the monitor does not bother you.
      • Go to bed at the same time every day so that your body can quickly adapt to the new routine.
      • When you lie down to take a nap, your heart rate slows down. Mentally count 60 heartbeats, then try to hear another 60. After the heart rate has slowed down, try to clear your mind of any thoughts.
      • Set an alarm for a specific time. When it rings, don't tell yourself, "5 more minutes." Get up as soon as the alarm rings.

   2. Reduce your nighttime sleep. Don't do it abruptly. Just gradually reduce the duration of your night's sleep.

      • Set your alarm 3 hours early first. Instead of sleeping 8 hours a night, sleep about 5 hours.
      • Stick to this schedule for three days.

   3. Set an alarm and stick to that sleep schedule. At first you will be a little uncomfortable, you will feel unusual. But over time, if you stick to the rules and wake up on time, the body will adapt to the new regimen.

      • Put your alarm clock away from your bed so you have to get up when you want to turn it off.
      • As soon as you get up, immediately turn on the light in the room.
      • If you have a lamp that mimics natural light, turn it on to wake up faster after each sleep segment.

   4. Think about your schedule. Before you divide sleep into segments, think about work, school, family, sports activities. Distribute everything in such a way that it is most convenient for you. Remember that the schedule must be adhered to very clearly!

      • It is important to consider the fact that no one will adjust to your schedule. Make sure you are able to sleep in the middle of the day and live according to your schedule.
      • Do not forget about unplanned events that you did not take into account in the schedule. There should be enough time in the schedule that you could squeeze some event into.

A full part of the life of some European countries is an afternoon nap - a siesta. If only small children sleep in our country during the day, then in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, even adults do not neglect this pleasant moment. And there are several reasons for this. What does the concept of siesta mean?

History of the siesta

Afternoon rest for replenishment of forces

The word siesta is of Spanish origin and means "sixth hour". The etymology of the word is rooted in the history of Ancient Rome. The Romans, who lived in the 2nd century AD, had a habit of waking up early at dawn, so the sixth hour of work for them was noon - a necessary break for rest. This is where the siesta starts.

Afternoon rest is popular in hot European countries, but history knows many examples when famous personalities such as Churchill, Margaret Thatcher regularly slept during the day. In Italy, the siesta appeared around the 17th century, when the rulers of the Hagsburg dynasty obliged their courtiers and all the inhabitants of the country to observe the ritual of daytime sleep.

Siesta originated in Spain not just because of the laziness of the locals. It is of great importance for the health and life expectancy of a person, his ability to work and activity. In addition, due to the hot climate (in Spain, the temperature in August can reach +40 degrees), it is simply necessary to sleep during the day. To continue to work in such heat is fraught with great health problems.

Siesta hours

Experts say that the optimal duration of a day's rest is no more than half an hour. After this time, a person, as a rule, indulges in deep sleep, which should not be allowed. If you wake up precisely in the phase of deep sleep, then there will be weakness, depression, and a depressed state.

Siesta times vary from country to country. There is a kind of classification that divides rest by time:

• Nano-sleep: 10-30 seconds (for example, in transport). Its benefits have not yet been studied.
• A shortened siesta (5-20 minutes) is rare.
• Common (20-50 minutes).
• Long - 1-1.5 hours (siesta "sloth").
• Record - up to 4 hours (siesta time in Spain).

Siesta is a whole tradition of the southern people

NASA experts believe that the optimal time for a lunchtime nap is 26 minutes! If you sleep longer, you can get up with a headache, feel overwhelmed and in a bad mood.

Thanks to a short afternoon rest, energy reserves are restored, strength is added, mental and physical performance increases, mental activity and memorization processes improve. An interesting study was conducted by a French specialist on pilots of transatlantic liners. While the first of them was sitting at the helm, the second could sleep for 45-50 minutes, after which the neuropsycho-physiological characteristics of the brain, the speed of reaction, and the speed of thinking were studied.

As a result, all indicators were much worse than if the pilot had not slept at all. This suggests that the time for lunchtime naps should be short (15 to 40 minutes). It is this interval that is useful for the body as a whole. If you regularly sleep longer than this limit, then you can get depression, high blood pressure, confusion, insomnia at night.

In Spain, for example, the local population observes certain conditions for a "correct" siesta. We can assume that the Spanish type of siesta is an example to follow.

In order to sleep was the most comfortable, you need to lie on a comfortable bed or sofa. It can be a house, an office, but it is better to choose the same place every day.

Complete isolation from external stimuli: telephone, TV, car noise, people's voices. Some need total darkness.

Turn off your phone before bed

The duration of sleep is not more than 45 minutes. If you feel that you will sleep longer, set an alarm clock with a pleasant melody. Sometimes it is advised to start getting used to the siesta from 1 o'clock. Gradually shortening up to 20 minutes.

You need a strict daily schedule: you need to fall asleep and wake up at the same time.

You can not wake up quickly, it is advisable to lie down for about 5 minutes, and then wash your face with cool water, eat something sweet (cake, chocolate) and drink tea or water.

The siesta time is chosen exactly in the afternoon from 12 to 16 hours. Sleeping later is not recommended, which is due to the peculiarity of human biorhythms.

The benefits of daytime sleep

In Western countries there is an expression "sleep a siesta", which means rest during the day. By about 12-14 pm, the level of the blood adrenal hormone - cortisol, as well as dopamine and serotonin, drops, leading to a slowdown in all vital processes in the body: metabolism, heart contractions, respiration, and conduction of nerve impulses. After a hearty meal, cerebral circulation decreases due to increased digestive processes, which causes temporary hypoxia, a drop in blood pressure and regular drowsiness.

For working people, and even more so in a very hot climate, the pace of work and reaction speed slow down sharply, attention worsens, and interest in ongoing events disappears. All this can negatively affect the efficiency of labor activity. Doctors, together with scientists neurophysiologists, have long proven the benefits of daytime sleep for the body.

The performance of the central nervous system improves: memory, attention, the ability to solve several complex problems, resistance to stress. After a siesta, drowsiness, lethargy, absent-mindedness disappear. The total length of the working day for a particular person is increasing.

Daytime sleep is an opportunity to increase your efficiency

Significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to studies, sleeping 30 minutes a day reduced the risk of strokes and heart attacks by 37%, and 15-20 minutes by 12%. During even a short rest, blood pressure decreases, heart rate and strength slow down, cholesterol metabolism and the level of stress hormones normalize, and the amount of endorphins and enkephalins increases.

Improved performance indicators. A lot of research has been done on changes in concentration after naps. All of them showed the same results: after 20-30 minutes of rest, the employees recorded the best successes (creativity, ingenuity, mood). What do we do when there is no strength and desire to continue our work? We drink a cup of strong coffee and force ourselves to work further. But this is not good for our health! Many leaders of large companies understood this long ago and decided to give their employees a 20-minute rest (for example, Japan, USA, Germany).

Removes excess tension from the muscles. The muscles relax, blood flow improves, pain in the limbs disappears (especially during physical labor), strength is restored.

Increasing learning. Students who have the opportunity to take a nap during the day for at least 15-20 minutes learn new material better, easily remember a large amount of information and cope with tasks.

Siesta can help with insomnia. As you know, many people suffer from sleep disorders for various reasons. Most often, these disorders are manifested by a lack of night rest and increased drowsiness during the day. According to some experts, siesta can just have a beneficial effect on insomnia due to the accumulation of hours of sleep per day. This is how special forces soldiers sleep (several short episodes of rest in 24 hours).

Prevalence of daytime sleep in some countries

As mentioned above, siesta is more common in Western countries, but in recent years it has been gaining momentum and becoming popular in France, America, and Japan. Managers have become clearly aware of all the risks associated with heavy workload and strong emotional overstrain of workers. Therefore, it is better to give them the opportunity to rest for 20 minutes during the day than to have low productivity on a daily basis, as well as breakdowns, absenteeism, layoffs and many other social difficulties.

What time is the siesta in Spain? To date, a full-fledged siesta has been preserved only in the Spanish province from 14 to 17 hours (for example, in Catalonia). There is complete silence during the day, you will not meet people on the streets, all the shops are closed. In large cities (Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona), everything is a little different: large supermarkets, museums, restaurants are open all the time for visitors and a large number of tourists. Medium and small shops, cafes, beauty salons, even pharmacies can close for a break from 12 to 16 hours.

This can be an annoying problem for travelers who are unaware of the way of life of the indigenous population. That is why, before traveling to another country, you need to know the way of life, traditions and all the important points in order to avoid difficulties. It is worth saying that a long lunch break indicates the need to extend the working day, and the Spaniards do not neglect this rule. Many public institutions are open until late in the evening.

In Greece, the traditional siesta starts at 2 pm and lasts until 5 pm. For Greeks, an afternoon nap is a sacred ritual. Cities freeze for 3 hours, life in the truest sense of the word stops: phones do not ring, there are rare cars and passers-by on the streets. The island of Rhodes is perhaps most accustomed to the siesta. Of course, large metropolitan areas live in their own way, but the traditional daytime sleep in Greece is welcomed and observed to this day.

Siesta times vary from country to country.

What time is siesta in Italy? Tourists who are going to visit remote corners of the country need to know this. Siesta in Italy starts from 12.30 to 15.30. Rome, of course, continues to live its life due to the accumulation of tourists, so it is difficult to find closed shops during the day.

Even in Vietnam, Turkmenistan (the city of Mara) there is such a thing as an afternoon rest, which is associated with the habit of the population to get up early.

Summing up, we can draw several interesting conclusions:

• Siesta is simply necessary in hot countries to prevent heart disease, when the human body is working at the limit of its capabilities.
• We are all individual and we need different times for daytime rest, but it is desirable that it does not exceed 40 minutes (before diving into the deep sleep phase).
• Regular short sleep during the day is needed not only for small children, as was previously thought, it is necessary for absolutely everyone.
• In countries where the siesta is not a national tradition (habit), you can relax during your lunch break using other opportunities (sleep at home, in the car, in your personal account).

Paulo Ubiratan, MD, is the chief physician of a hospital in Puerto Alegre, Brazil.

Below is a fragment of an interview taken from him by local television.

Q: Cardiovascular exercise prolongs life, is it true?
Answer: The heart is designed to perform a certain number of contractions. Don't waste it on exercise. Your life span has expired No matter how you use heart beats. It's like saying that you can extend the life of your car by driving it at higher speeds. Do you want to live longer? Have a siesta.

Q: Should we stop eating red meat and eat more fruits and plant foods?
A: You need to understand the nutritional efficiency strategy. What do cows eat? Grass and corn. What it is? Plant food. Thus, beef shmat is the most effective way to put plant foods into your body. Would you like to eat cereals? Eat chicken.

Q: Should alcohol consumption be reduced?
O: Not at all. Wine is made from berries. Brandy is a distilled wine, which means the liquid has been removed from the berries so you get the most out of them. Beer is made from cereals. Do not limit your intake excessively.

Q: What are the benefits of regular exercise?
A: My philosophy is: if nothing hurts, don't do anything. Are you okay.

Q: Is fried food bad?
A: Nowadays, food is fried in vegetable oil and saturated with it. How can additional plant foods be harmful?

Q: How does the gym help reduce excess weight?
O: Absolutely not. The only thing exercise for a muscle does is increase the size of that muscle.

Q: Is chocolate harmful?
A: It's cocoa. Another representative of plant foods. Good food for happiness. Life should not be a trip to the grave with the intention of arriving in good health, with an attractive and well-preserved body. It's best to start the journey with a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other, and end it after numerous sex sessions, with a completely tired, used body, screaming: it was worth it, what a wonderful trip! ..

Q: What else can you recommend?
A: If constant walking was useful, postmen would be immortal. Killer whales swim all their lives, eat fish and drink water, and despite this they are fat. Hares run and jump non-stop, but live no more than 15 years. Turtles do not run and do nothing, but they live 450 years.
Via: Rachel Brushtain