Comment from Mark
Time: August 21, 2008, 4:02 pm

Having just moved from London to Valencia I’m having to make the same adjustment. From the Spanish lunchtime of 2 - 3pm-ish (which rather than being a ‘lunch’ is actually a full-on main meal) until around 4.30pm, my neighbourhood becomes a ghost town. Only the bars and restaurants show signs of life. In the latter half of this lull in the day, while the Spanish sleep off their culinary excesses, I find myself still wide awake, despite the bloated stomach.

By the time it’s English ‘dinner time’, the Spanish are out and about again but food is the last thing on their minds until around 10 or 11pm. At which point they eat a lighter meal and enjoy their post-work socialising, which goes on well into the early hours (kids ‘n’ all).

I’ve naturally slipped into this rhythm, though without the siesta, but what I can’t understand is why I’m not tired all day. I’m getting far less sleep than I’m used to! In fact, what with Valencia’s humidity, I’m averaging just 4 or 5 hours a night, which is crazy!

I suspect that, in time, the siesta will become an essential part of my timetable … but for now it just feels too weird having each day divided by sleep into two halves!

Comment from Colin
Time: August 21, 2008, 4:08 pm

“How do you deal with the long end of Spanish timekeeping?”

You get older and just give it up.

But all your other options have merit, except for those of us who can’t take any caffeine after noon lest we wake up 10 times the following night.

I heartily recommend the siesta, though you may find it a difficult art to master for a while. Eventually it comes. It’s a zen thing.

Comment from Colin
Time: August 21, 2008, 7:06 pm

Mark,

A much better way to look at it is that you have 2 days. Of course, this is much better if you are one of the people who likes to wake up and get on with the day. Not so good if you are a poor riser. I was only 25 when I first learned to do it in Iran and I’m delighted to have the chance to get back to it.

Comment from raytibbitts
Time: August 21, 2008, 11:35 pm

That’s pretty cool, are there many people who ‘do the siesta’ in Iran?

My advice, especially with the humidity, is to renounce sleep, and join me in the ranks of the Zombies.

The walking dead and me are having a great time, working nights, and laying on top of the bed all day, pretending to sleep, and then…

We attack!

Sorry, I really am losing my mind.

Comment from Anna
Time: August 22, 2008, 9:32 am

Siesta, siesta siesta!! There is no other way!! Then ocourse in the weekends you have to sleep until at least 11.00 (hopefully u don’t have kids, and if u have get a nanny for saturday/sunday mornings) That way you will gain some of the sleep u lost in the week. But truly; a proper siesta in the middle of the day can do miracles for the rest of your day. All big movie stars, presidents, and important people as yourself has to have a power nap in the middle of the day! Enjoy!

Comment from Parubin
Time: August 22, 2008, 10:50 am

There is nothing like a ’siesta’ if you can allow one (that is holiday time or if you work at home or you are free after lunch).

I can´t understand how this pleasure is such a Spanish thing only. What do people from other countries do after lunch if they have idle time to kill??(not talking about working weeks and lunch breaks at the company’s canteen). Everyone knows that summer holidays siesta of a length of about an hour is pure bliss, not to mention how healthy that is also.

My perfect siesta would be one of about an hour long, not having to work later, after a lunch with my wife, having drank a nice bottle of red wine (half each, that is). How could you beat that??.

Unluckily, day-to-day routine tends to be a little more prosaic. I work from 8am till about 7pm, with a lunch break of two hours. Since it only takes me about 10 minutes door-to-door from work to home I manage to eat in my house and have the occasional nap of about 30 minutes most days. No bottle of wine, wife or idle afternoons though.

Comment from Mark
Time: August 22, 2008, 3:11 pm

As far as a midafternoon siesta or “power nap” is concerned I guess it depends on how an individual is wired. Personally I can benefit from a short nap when it isn’t too hot. Not a problem as I’m in London and summer seems to have passed us by this year. However in hot weather I often wake up feeling “drugged” and in a much worse state than before the snooze. Taking some vigorous exercise tends to put me back in sync and gives me more energy.

In my experience strong coffee doesn’t work as it disrupts quality sleep and exacerbates the problem. Of course, and I don’t like to mention it, but “recharge intervals” do take longer as you get older!

Comment from leftbanker
Time: August 23, 2008, 4:26 pm

Here is how I deal with all new problems: I begin by drastically increasing my alcohol consumption. This has never solved any issues and has often led to disastrous consequences, but what if after much trial and error you find that alcohol was the answer? You’d feel like an idiot for not trying it first.

On a serious and more sober note, I have been a napper/siesta-taker for most of my adult life. My routine is to work-out (mostly cycling) in the afternoon, eat, and then sleep for 20-40 minutes. When I wake up I feel like $100 (before, when $100 was worth something). The nap helps my heart rate to return to something like normal.

Comment from Maria S.
Time: August 23, 2008, 10:05 pm

Taking a siesta - even in Germany - is a wonderful thing.

I work from 7:00 till about 22:00 and I need to break my day into “twos”. I take a short nap - as soon as I close my book, I set the alarm clock for 20 minutes - and this is a real power nap. I have to agree with Colin, it is a zen thing. I find peace and sleep and because of not sleeping long, I wake up refreshed and revitalized.

Working at home has gotten me spoiled in this respect, but I also feel very much alive after a short nap.

Comment from Sara
Time: August 24, 2008, 5:14 am

Ben - it always helped when I took a brisk walk in the afternoon after siesta. Excercise is good for you and it gives you more energy! It also helped me to combat all the Cruzcampo and tinto de verano calories that I drank later in the day;) Suerte~

Comment from gary
Time: August 25, 2008, 11:20 am

After a 15 hour delay on my way home from BCN this weekend I am feeling jetlagged - no mean achievement from a two hour flight!

My internal clock is still telling me that its time to eat at about 10.30pm.

Comment from Amberly
Time: August 25, 2008, 3:28 pm

Ben, I have a question about your option #1: Are Spaniards typically early risers?

After moving to Spain last November, my husband and I observed and fairly quickly adopted the Spanish schedule in terms of lunch, dinner and going-out times. However, because we work from home, I’ve had no exposure to the Spanish morning timetable.

(For our part, we have an awful time getting up before the sun, so although we were rising as early as 7 a month ago, we’re now down to 7:30 now and slowly creeping toward 8!)

Comment from Caleb
Time: August 25, 2008, 6:47 pm

Hey Ben,

I don’t live in Spain anymore, but I do “live” online. I have found that an afternoon nap and copious amounts of coffee are required. We too are beginning to enact rules about how long I stay online so I can pay attention to the gf…

Comment from dave
Time: August 27, 2008, 8:32 pm

Ha! The siesta is your only real option and the one you have the most control over. Force yourself to take a nap; you´ll feel so much better.

Comment from Phoenix Arizona Spanish
Time: August 29, 2008, 11:44 pm

I worked with a Spaniard while living in France and he always napped after lunch and so I picked up the habit as well. It was hard to break when I was back in the states. I just got super sleepy after eating and would just start falling asleep involuntarily.