News on sleep – we need more
Between a tenth and a third of people don’t get enough sleep, say the sleep experts.
The consequences can be serious – ranging from reduced productivity at work, through to obesity, depression and road accidents.
In many countries, such as Spain, Italy, Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, China, and India, people have a ‘siesta’ around midday.
But in Australia, and other predominantly protestant Anglo Saxon countries like the UK and the US, the siesta is frowned upon. Napping tends to be equated with laziness, slackness and bludging, or at the very least an indication a person has been out partying too late. Hence the expression ‘caught napping’ for someone who’s taken their eye off the ball.
However, there are good reasons to have a siesta. One is that traditionally, in those countries where it’s the cultural norm, it’s too hot to work anyway.
There’s also a biological reason. The body has a 24-hour body clock, with lows in the early hours of the morning and in the hours after lunch. Our blood levels of cortisol fall, and we get sleepier and less alert. Our bodies are telling us to snooze.
