In a recent public interview, someone asked me what my favorite hobby was. Without hesitation, I said, “napping!” I heard the snickers throughout the room, and I saw the shocked looks of wide eyes and opened jaws.

They couldn’t believe it! Had I actually admitted—in public—that I enjoyed resting and sleeping? I went on to tell them that I love the feeling of crawling into my bed in the middle of the afternoon (in my pajamas, I confess). It’s a wonderful feeling to rest my mind and my body—whether it be for a quick 20-minute “power nap” or a longer 2-3 hour nap when I’m really feeling sleep deprived.

Why do we feel guilty and selfish in some cultures about taking care of ourselves—especially when it comes to resting and napping?

What about you? How do you perceive rest and naps? Do you feel guilty if you take time to stop, pause, halt in the middle of your busy day in order to rest, refresh, and reboot? Does your country’s culture, your family culture, or your own belief system tell you that you are unproductive and lazy if you take an afternoon snooze?

Napping Around the World

In some cultures, there are a lot of stigmas associated with napping.

“Napping indicates laziness, a lack of ambition, and low standards.”

“Napping is only for children, the sick, and the elderly.”

On the other hand, there are many countries that have napping built into their cultural DNA.

In Spain, for example, the country shuts down completely from 2-4 p.m.—just after lunch—for a “siesta.” In Morocco, one can find people lounging on mats under the shade of trees during the peak hours of the afternoon heat. It’s as if the entire country pushes the “pause button” for a brief time of rest.

Why is napping acceptable in some cultures and not in others?

Here’s what The National Sleeping Foundation says about “Napping Around the World.”

“In some parts of the world, life practically comes to a grinding halt in the early afternoon. People head home from work for a siesta, as it’s known in Spain, or a riposo, as it’s called in Italy. Whether that means a short nap of 20 minutes (the traditional meaning of the word siesta) or a major mid-afternoon break, it varies from one country to another. In many parts of the world—including Greece, the Philippines, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Nigeria—naps are seamlessly woven into the tapestry of everyday life.”

The tradition of napping began as a necessity in many areas of the world. In the afternoon, the heat would become unbearable—simply too hot to be outside. The rising temperatures and a heavy mid-day meal would cause residents to crawl into the comfort of their home where they could rest and wait for the heat to subside.

Over time, different cultures have adopted and adapted the “napping habit.”

China: Workers often take a break after lunch and put their heads on their desks for an hour-long nap. It’s considered a constitutional right.

Italy: The riposo may begin anytime between noon and 1:30 p.m. and run until 2:30-4:00 p.m. Businesses shut down, and public venues like museums and churches lock their doors so their employees can go home for a leisurely lunch and a snooze.

Spain: The siesta is deeply ingrained, as businesses often close for hours to accommodate the mid-day rest. While the siesta can span two hours, only a fraction of the time is actually spent napping. First, there’s lunch with family and friends, then a rest. Because of the mid-day break, people often work later into the evening.

Napping has not yet become a cultural tradition in my home country. However, even Google and other big-name companies are becoming “nap-friendly,” believing that it increases the productivity of its workers.

The world is beginning to recognize the benefits of napping:

1. Improves your memory: helps prevent you from forgetting motor skills, sense perception, verbal recall

2. Helps your brain connect the dots: draws connections between things you find out and information you learn

3. Lifts your mood: brightens your outlook and lifts your spirits

4. Helps you stay alert: a 20-minute nap can help you get through the “post-lunch struggle”

5. Helps to relieve stress and boosts your immune system

6. Helps your heart and can lower your blood pressure

7. Boosts your creativity: REM sleep (begins 60-70 minutes into sleep) taps into your dreaming and imagery, helps you find new solutions to problems

8. Helps you to sleep better at night: A 30-minute nap between 1-3 p.m. and mild exercise (walk,etc.) in the evening can help older adults sleep better at night.

9. Increase learning and development in preschool children

Recommendations for napping:

1. Make it a habit.

2. Napping between 1-3 p.m. is ideal.

3. A 20-30 minute nap is ideal, helping you to be more productive and alert without giving the groggy feeling of sleep inertia.

4. Create a good environment for rest: limited noise and light, comfortable temperature, etc.

5. If you feel sleepy and still need to study or work, take a short nap instead of having a cup of coffee or drinking a soda. Napping will increase learning and memory more than caffeine.

6. If you know that you won’t get a lot of sleep for a night or two (due to travel, deadlines, etc.), prepare with a power nap ahead of time.

Are you ready to improve your memory, boost your creativity, lower your blood pressure, increase your productivity, and lift your mood?

Let’s block out 20-30 minutes in our busy, chaotic schedules today and push the “pause button.”

”A napper lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never naps lives only one.” —George R.R. Martin