You Should Take Some Rest

November 13, 2023

When I first visited India, my friends and I had a chance to spend some time with a senior citizen Indian woman who was anything but senior. She was challenging herself by learning a new language and she 'didn't take no mess' from a subziwallah (vegetable vendor) who surreptitiously tried to weigh out more vegetables than she wanted or needed. She was kind enough to invite us back to her home told us "You should take some rest." It was 2 in the afternoon and I figured maybe she needed a break. While I thought it was a little weird to take an adult nap, others thought it was great idea and took a quick nap.

Towards the end of my second visit to India, something similar happened with a different family I was with. I thought that the tiredness was may have been diet related, because after spending the first few weeks eating mainly vegetarian, I was definitely feeling more tired than usual (that and taking planes, trains and automobiles to crisscross the country over just a few short weeks).

Now, on my third visit, the idea of taking a mid-afternoon nap to rest has come up more than a few times. It finally dawned on me that the concept of 'taking rest' is more than the quirk I thought it was; it is an everyday thing and it is perfectly normal to take a nap (if one's schedule allows).

With American culture, sleep is regulated to nighttime and it's discouraged to sleep during the day because you could use your time in other ways and be more productive. The only ones who are encouraged to take naps during the day are little ones (if you've been around toddlers who've missed their nap time, you know what a terror they can be), or those who are older or infirm. But the American view is just one view. Many cultures do take a mid-day break, and most Americans are familiar with the Spanish word siesta. Certain Mediterranean countries make it a habit to shut down to give time for rest, usually around the hottest parts of the day.

Although the cultural norm in the US and other Western countries is to have one extended period of uninterrupted sleep at night, the truth is that monophasic sleep (sleeping in during one long interval), is a relatively new concept since artificial lighting has made it easier for humans to extend the day. Throughout history, people have had many different sleep patterns, including a biphasic sleep pattern, in which they would sleep for a few hours after sunset, awake in the middle of the night for a few hours, then fall back asleep again.

As for me, I think I could get on board with the concept of 'taking some rest' and will try and take a cat nap during the day.