Las Tapas and the Science of Sleep. November 28, 2006
Sara Jerez and Anna Menéndez in Sevillanas. November 28, 2006 7:58pm (photo by Brian)
It's 6:12am on Wednesday as I type these words. This is unusual for me to naturally wake up at this hour but you know how I've been talking about my body clock being messed up again, right? Interestingly when I stopped by Olsson's Books in Old Town Alexandria yesterday (Tuesday) I came across this book: Take a Nap! Change your Life by Sara Mednick, PhD.
OK, ok...the idea of taking naps or of simply just getting a good night's rest to improve mental and physical health it's not exactly a new concept. I only skimmed the first two chapters and I found it hard to put the book down. It starts off with a brief history of how earlier civilizations practiced something called multiphasic sleep--basically meaning heeding the body's natural need for two or more sleep phases in a 24-hour period.
Prehistoric man supposedly slept several times a day for short periods for reasons of survival...he and his fellow cave dwellers had to take shifts to keep a lookout for predators. Fast forward to modern times, we no longer have to worry much about predators. We, Americans especially, try to squeeze our body's natural recuperation period in a single eight hour period each night---but if you're like most increasingly busy Americans, you probably get slightly less than eight.
Did you know that in ancient times, the Romans traditionally slept in two phases? At night and at noon. Noon was called sexta, meaning "sixth hour" according to the ancient Roman sundial. Anywayz, this word for the midday nap, sexta, later became the word siesta. The question I pose for you: do we need to go back to the tradition of taking an afternoon siesta?
Sara Jerez in Guajiras. November 28, 2006 8:03pm (photo by Brian)
November 28, 2006 8:04pm (photo by Brian)
November 28, 2006 8:05pm (photo by Brian)
Of course, introducing the idea of an afternoon siesta probably won't sit well with productivity-oriented corporate America. The author explains scientificially the benefits of taking an afternoon nap, not for several hours as a traditional siesta would require, but for a shorter period. And it also tries to break the stigma of napping as something only lazy people do. It seems the author hopes that corporate America will take notice of the productivity and health benefits of napping and perhaps someday soon, the idea of taking an afternoon nap will become a standard part of an American workday.
Anna Menéndez in soleá. November 28, 2006 8:07pm (photo by Brian)
November 28, 2006 8:08pm (photo by Brian)
November 28, 2006 8:09pm (photo by Brian)
OK, so I went off on a tangent, but it's a topic that's on my mind that I think might interest you anyway. But last night as I was onstage at Las Tapas, I realized that my performance level dropped noticeably mostly due to sleep-deprivation from this past weekend. I wasn't as mentally- focused as I usually am. And while my sleep schedule can be irregular sometimes, I'm hoping to find some kind of a solution. For those occasional times when simply getting a good night's rest isn't an option, taking naps seems to be a remedy. I'll stop by the bookstore today and continue reading this book, apply some of the techniques over the next few weeks and give you a report on my progress.
Oh yeah, and thanks to my guitarist friend Brian for taking pics.
It's Wednesday and I don't have a show tonight, yay! How am I going to spend this day? Well, I'm going to the Carlos Saura flamenco photo exhibition and spend quality time with a friend or two. One of those friends right now is my bed which is calling out to me as I type these words. So, I'm signing off for now. Good night! ;-)
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