Siesta in Spain is a wonderful custom with deep historical, cultural and practical roots. The term itself originates in the Latin expression "hora sexta", which means the rest time between 12 and 15 days
for hours. From Latin, it literally translates as the sixth hour after dawn. That is, this term was used by the ancient Romans to mean noon, when they took a break from work to relax and regain strength. Siesta in Spain is a national feature that praises this people all over the world, along with bullfighting or flamenco dancing. However, a similar day break can be observed in other hot countries, for example, in Cuba or in Israel. Siesta in
Spain, whose
time ranges from twenty to thirty minutes of afternoon rest, arose in ancient times. A number of historians attribute its origin to the seventeenth century, when it was introduced by the will of the kings of
the Habsburg dynasty.Afternoon break value
By the way, the siesta in Spain is not only due to the whim or need to replenish strength. It should be remembered that it occurs in the afternoon. And this means that such a break in work is dictated by the natural outflow of blood from the brain after eating and its influx into the digestive tract. We all feel such an outflow when drowsiness occurs after a dense meal. A Spanish lunch, according to local tradition, by the way, is very plentiful. Another factor that explains the siesta in Spain is the climatic. The Iberian Peninsula is famous for its hot weather. The air temperature reaches a very high point when the sun is at its zenith. As indicated, siesta is characteristic of a number of hot countries. Business life here begins early enough in the morning, but at noon on a hot day the streets are empty.
La Siesta Spain (as tourists sometimes call it) can have different durations:
- Mini-siesta: it is exhausted by five to twenty minutes of afternoon rest in order to increase pep, the general tone of the body and one's own energy.
- Siesta is ordinary: lasts from twenty minutes to one hour. In addition to the fact that it increases the energy charge in the body, it also frees the brain from unnecessary accumulated information, experiences, while maintaining long-term memory. In addition, increased muscle tone.
- The so-called sloth siesta: such a vacation can last from one hour to an hour and a half. It is good for optimizing the perception process. In addition, daytime sleep has a beneficial effect on young people, and in the Pyrenees it is not disdained. When the level of growth hormone is high in the body, short-term daytime sleep is useful for restoring muscles and bones.
It is interesting to note that many doctors consider the shortest daytime sleep of 20-30 minutes to be the most effective. However, most Spaniards ignore such recommendations, hiding for a long time from the swelteringly hot Spanish sun.