Saying goodbye to nana naps, I am enjoying a soft entry back into the working year. It's the final two weeks of the school holidays so there is a mix of hanging out, watching cricket, some work and a lot of brain fuzz.
I can't think of another way to describe it. My brain has switched off to the extent that sleeping much of the day, despite having had a lot of sleep in the past month, is still attractive.
The Spanish have it right I have decided. Siestas, or as I like to call them nana naps, are the way to go, especially with the summer heat we have been experiencing.
I was discussing my urge to snooze with a friend, and her thoughts were that during the rest of the year, we just push through it. Sleepy post-lunch thoughts are banished, told off, simply not tolerated. It's only when we allow our natural circadian rhythm to kick in that brain fuzz happens.
I decided to investigate the health benefits - or otherwise - of my nana naps to determine if I should be giving into them more regularly.
While investigating, I found this particularly enjoyable snippet from 2015, where in a Spanish town in Valencia, a regional news article went viral.
Apparently, Joan Faus, the Mayor of Ador, (population 1400) issues the proclamation (''bando'' in Spanish) every day over loud speakers in the town: ''In order to guarantee everyone's rest and thus better deal with the rigors of the summer, we ask you to please respect the midday hours of rest from 2 to 5pm, keeping children at home and keeping the volume of music and television at acceptable levels.''
Sounds glorious doesn't it. Unfortunately, though, my investigation into the health effects of nana napping has been frustratingly inconclusive.
It seems the popular press are all for nana naps, with the ''Tree Hugger'' claiming they improve memory, alertness and creativity. This is backed up by scientific research, but according to Mantua and Spencer (Journal of Sleep Medicine, 2017), napping is also associated with numerous negative outcomes, including cognitive decline and hypertension.
Sigh, science is simply ruining my good story.
Regardless of my findings, the impracticabilities of having regular nana naps make them out of the question. Part of the ease of napping while on holiday is the availability of a soft couch and the soporific effects of cricket commentary.
I can't imagine achieving a similar state of relaxation in the workplace, although employers are being encouraged to create ''mindfulness zones''. I have a feeling if I went into one I might never come out.
Mindfulness and napping, of course, are not new concepts.
I have horrid memories of teachers at primary school demanding we lie down on our mats for ''quiet time''. They would try to lull us to sleep - or some sort of equivalent zenful state of the '80s - with descriptions of blowing tussocks and waves on the seashore. I never felt close to sleeping or calmness and spent my time fidgeting and trying not to get the giggles.
The thought of shared napping space at work sends me into a similar state of nervous giggles.
So, as the school holidays come to an end and routine strikes, I have become resigned to the fact nana naps will be forgotten, pushed aside.
In their place, make-up will be applied, contracts will be delivered, planes caught - oh how I hate the 6.25am flight to Wellington - meetings run, practices attended and dinners cooked.
Recharged and refreshed, I am quite looking forward to the new working year, but a part of me is sighing - ''roll on Easter!''
-Anna Campbell is managing director of AbacusBio Ltd, a Dunedin-based agri-technology company.
