A few years back, if you were caught up in the Mapusa market for shopping between 1 pm to 4 pm, you had nothing to do but wait for the shops to open after siesta time. However, times have changed and very few make that extra effort to actually nap in the afternoon. While having a long stretch of undisturbed sleep is very important, this afternoon nap helps rejuvenate the body
and mind.
Goa’s sleep expert recommends
Margao-based Dr Afshan Shaik is the only super-specialist in Goa with a DM in Pulmonary Medicine, sleep medicine and critical care. While sleep is very important for the body, Dr Afshan warns about sleeping at irregular times of the day.
“If one has been used to taking an afternoon nap, then it is good and nothing alarming. It helps improve memory and reduces fatigue. But if one is sleeping excessively more recently, especially in the afternoon, when they should not fall asleep, it’s a warning sign that they have an Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or, this patient will have it in the future. The drawbacks will be the disruption of nighttime sleep, worsening of metabolic health and make one more prone to obesity and diabetes,” informs Dr Afshan.
With compulsory eight hours of sleep for children and teenagers and six hours of sleep for elders, Dr Afshan warns that people are nowadays reporting about insomnia. “People are sleeping late because of scrolling on their mobile screens which is affecting their sleep pattern. It’s always advisable for them to keep their mobile shut for at least one hour before they tend to go to sleep. Sleep hygiene is something which is very important,” says Dr Afshan.
Teenagers tend to sleep less, while using mobile phones, ultimately their memory and concentration power gets affected. “With poor sleep, in the future one will tend to have cardiovascular problems, especially in elderly, and metabolic problems, later on in life,” concludes Dr Afshan.
When siesta is a weekend luxury
For music teacher Vinita Fernandes, as a parent her day is packed
with her children’s school and extracurricular activities. “When I was nursing my children, I had erratic sleep in the night and my husband would make sure that I got at least an hour of afternoon nap. Now, since the children are grown, the afternoons are spent picking and dropping them to different classes. I start my music classes by 4 pm to 6.30 pm. Afternoon siesta is now a luxury for us to be enjoyed during the weekends when we don’t have classes,” says Caranzalem-based Vinita.
The early birds
Fr Noel Menezes is the local superior and assistant parish priest of St Michael Church, Anjuna. Waking up early in the morning to prepare the sermon and working through the day without a break can be challenging. “I usually take a one hour break in the afternoon as I wake up at 5 am to prepare for the sermon and be ready for the Mass at 6.30 am. If I don’t sleep well, then I feel tired as the body needs that much required recuperation. I go to sleep early too,” says Fr Noel.
A teacher at a high school, Desiree Fernandes from Anjuna finds her mornings to be very productive but being in school gives her just an half an hour break for lunch. “My sleeping patterns are so erratic that if I have 8 hours of sleep, then even a half an hour break in the afternoon to relax is sufficient. After lunch, we start with remedial classes for students before winding up for the day,” explains Desiree.
A mid day rejuvenation
Clarice Vaz is a self trained artist and writer from Saligao. Her afternoon siesta is a must and a practice she has followed more recently in the last few years. She shares her schedule, “I need that one hour in the afternoon, I actually don’t have a deep sleep but I rest my body and my dogs wiggle and waggle, as they know it’s time for their biscuits, which is my wake up call. I can’t miss out on my siesta, I don’t schedule anything during this time. It’s like part 2 for the day because I wake up at 5 am which is my prayer and meditation time.”
Savia Viegas is an accomplished academic, writer, artist, and curator who now in her 60s, still does a lot of intense minute work that requires good eyesight and concentration. “I try to take a one hour break in the afternoons. It’s not every day and I don’t sleep, but I close my eyes. Considering my age, I have very good eyesight, and I protect it as this exercise helps me immensely. I need this work necessitated rest. It is a wisdom that comes from our ancestors, a kind of invigorating break from your work. It’s not only a lifestyle thing, but an intuitively engineered human necessity especially for a tropical climate like ours, it’s very important to help you recoup your energies,” says Savia.