On holidays, do you fall sleep in the Afternoons ! (not a Q to those fortunate to sleep on all days of the week !) Sleep is every day activity. Many a times, when you get up after a short [or long sleep in AN] – you may have some confusion on the time of the day – is it morning or evening ?
A few decades ago, most people believed sleep was a passive activity during which the body and brain were dormant. “But it turns out that sleep is a period during which the brain is engaged in a number of activities necessary to life—which are closely linked to quality of life.”
For some addicted to social media, the sleeping time is getting reduced. When one is sleep deprived, eyes and mind crave for a nap. Napping offers various benefits for healthy adults, including: relaxation, fatigue reduction, increase in alertness, good moods, quicker reaction and better memory. The timing of sleep in humans depends upon a balance between homeostatic sleep propensity, the need for sleep as a function of the amount of time elapsed since the last adequate sleep episode, and circadian rhythms which determine the ideal timing of a correctly structured and restorative sleep episode.
Siesta, a ‘Spanish’ word from the Latin hora sexta – "the sixth hour" (counting from dawn, therefore noon), hence "midday rest”. It is the traditional daytime sleep of Spain, and through Spanish influence, of many Latin American countries. Factors explaining the geographical distribution of the modern siesta are mainly high temperatures and heavy intake of food at the midday main meal. The "siesta" can refer to the nap itself, or more generally to a period of the day.
The afternoon sleep is often called ‘Catnap’. A catnap is a short sleep, usually one which you have during the day. The term takes its origin from how cats take a series of naps throughout the day and night. This idiosyncratic cat-like behavior is thought to help cats stay their alert and agile selves, and humans can take afternoon napping to reap similar benefits. There’s no medical definition of a catnap, and there’s no strict limit on how long they last.
In case you get confused when you get up of the time of the day ! – thinking of getting up, brushing your teeth as in the morning, while it is evening, don’t feel bad and never start crazily querying on forums and searching on web. If you do so, you might get influenced by some modern phraseology like :
Confusional arousals - a sleep disorder that causes you to act in a very strange and confused way as you wake up or just after waking. It may appear that you don’t know where you are or what you are doing. One may have slow speech, stammering, confused thinking, poor memory, blunt responses !! When a confusional arousal occurs, you may seem to be awake even though you have a foggy state of mind. Episodes often start when someone else physically wakes you up forcefully.
Sleepwalking or shouting during an episode is common. Some people with confusional arousals also grind their teeth. Confusional arousals is considered a parasomnia.
‘Sundowning" refers to a state of confusion that occurs in the late afternoon and lasts into the night. Sundowning can cause various behaviors, such as confusion, anxiety, aggression or ignoring directions. Sundowning also can lead to pacing or wandering. Sundowning isn't a disease. It's a group of symptoms that occurs at a specific time of the day. These symptoms may affect people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.
வேதநூல் பிராயம் நூறு மனிசர்தாம் புகுவரேலும்
பாதியும் உறங்கிப் போகும் நின்றதில் பதினையாண்டு
தொண்டரடிப்பொடி ஆழ்வார் - திருமாலை பாசுரம் - ஓர் தினத்தில் உள்ள அறுபது நாழிகையில் முப்பது நாழிகை உறக்கத்தில் கழிகிற கணக்கில் வேதசாஸ்திரத்திற்படியே நூறு வருஷங்கள் வாழ்ந்திருப்பர்களேயானாலும், அந்த சதாயுஸ்ஸில் பாதியான ஐம்பது வருஷமும் உறக்கத்தாலே கழியும் !!!
There is still some stigma about naps but as long as it does not affect your work, your mind or your night sleep, never mind. Don’t have any guilt, it is acting to the demands of body and mind. Sleep well and happy – have naps and do not have interrupted sleeps. Life is too beautiful to be spent worrying.
Fresh from today’s afternoon sleep – yours friendly aasami sirippu sinthanaiyaan.
With regards – S Sampathkumar
14.9.2024