International corporations are evil on so many levels that it is easy to forget that they also destroyed the culture of the afternoon siesta everywhere they wanted to set up factories. I treasure my after lunch naps. Have for a long time now. With equatorial heat running rampant in formerly moderate zones, I would suggest adopting it further north, like say Tennessee.

We’re born to nap

According to Dr Michael Breus, an American sleep expert and author, our post-lunch languor is all but inevitable. He says humans are naturally biphasic sleepers, meaning afternoon somnolence is hardwired into us. An afternoon snooze, or at least a spell of rest, is practically a birthright.

He explains that along with a spike in melatonin production around 10.30pm to remind us to go to bed for the night, we experience the same phenomenon during the day, often between 1 and 3pm.

Succumbing to this innate call to calm, according to a wealth of research, can boost our mood, cognitive function, memory, creative thinking and physical performance.

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