Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE

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Why wait till 2007? Have a Nap

As you will have gathered this site is about health, well being and happiness, and I've often talked about the benefits of having a siesta after lunch as a means of reviving energy levels and alertness for the afternoon. If you've been following my blog, you'll know that this spurred me on to set up the UK's first 'National Siesta Day' on June 28th this year.

Well I've just been contacted by The British House of Commons, checking on the date for next year's event. I ask myself, how amazing is this world we live in when the British Government comes to me and asks when I'm setting up the next National Siesta Day? So I check my 2007 calendar and pick a day that's close to last years. I then told them it's going to be Wednesday 27th June 2007 and they've put it into the Parliamentary Diary for all MPs in the UK Government to take note. Is the tail wagging the dog or what? I guess, because I set it up they have reason......but it feels damn strange!

A post-lunch nap can be so helpful. We all tend to have a natural dip in energy levels in the early afternoon. To be more precise, it's pretty much twelve hours after our deepest sleep at night which is usually between 12.00am and 2.00am. It's got nothing to do with food, although a heavy lunch, carbohydrates and a beer will certainly make us even more drowsy. By having a siesta or short snooze of around 15 minutes, we can restore our energy levels, be more alert, more productive, be more enthusiastic, negotiate better, communicate better, have brighter ideas and avoid accidents....and be generally healthier. It's just good to do, and I've done it myself daily for 15 years. I owe it to my afternoon clients to be really fresh and at my best for them.

NASA has conducted experiments for astronauts and pilots, showing that if they have a short nap in the early afternoon, their performance can improve by up to 34% and alertness by 100%. So is having a nap worthwhile or not?

However, when I talk to people about having a siesta, I'm usually told that they just can't do it. They don't have time, or their work culture doesn't allow for it, their office is too public, or it's a waste of time and they should be earning money. There is an attitude in Britain that does not accept the siesta as a means of helping us function better and to be healthier and happier. Yet the natural dip in energies cannot really be avoided. We might minimise it by avoiding heavy food at lunch and drink, but it's a natural thing. We just haven't accepted this ....yet and we're expected to 'soldier on', stiff-upper-lip, be 'strong' and not be so weak and whimpish.

There is a real negative attitude about the siesta in Britain, yet when I talk to people about it, everyone....and I mean EVERYONE wishes they could have one. Oh Yeah! Everyone seems to want to have a snooze after lunch, even for just 10 minutes. But they don't. Just a few people say they feel tired and drowsy after a nap, but the secret is to only snooze for 15-20 minutes maximum and to use an alarm. Sleeping for more than this puts us into the third stage of sleep and we will certainly feel drugged afterwards. But a short nap works wonders.

Anyway, this attitude is so restricting and contrary to health. It's not good that we can't satisfy our bodily needs when it's relating to health and performance. Particularly when we could give a portion of our break to it and not take time away from productivity. So this is why I set up National Siesta Day, and it will be happening again next year. It's a day when we can all take a short nap during our normal lunch break without drawing criticism from others. If last year is anything to go by, when I managed to get the word out to around 15 million people via live radio broadcasts, then it's going to be great fun and even bigger next year.

But here's the message for today. Why wait until June next year to satisfy your bodily needs? Why not have a quick nap today as part of your lunch break. Just see how good it feels. It will help you think more clearly, negotiate better, be more productive.... and just help you feel great!

:-)

Posted by Noël on November 2, 2006 8:16 AM | Permalink