Oliva Feature
• Oliva, Spain residents belong to the lucky 10% of Spaniards continuing to enjoy a healthy post-lunch siesta
By Hola Oliva with excepts from, 'The Family That Couldn’t Sleep:A Medical Mystery', By D. T. Max

OLIVA, Valencia, Spain belongs to the lucky 10% of the Spanish population continuing to enjoy a healthy post-lunch siesta. In his book, 'The Family That Couldn’t Sleep', D.T. Max explains the health values of the traditonal Spanish post-lunch nap and argues against the recent demise of Spains siesta culture.

"The timing of the traditional siesta corresponds to a natural post-lunch dip in our circadian rhythms, and studies have shown that people who catnap are generally more productive and may even enjoy lower risk of death from heart disease.




It is the Spanish who have made the siesta famous. Unfortunately, most Spaniards no longer live close enough to work to go home and nap. Instead some use the afternoon break to go out for long lunches with friends and colleagues. Having spent two hours at lunch, Spanish workers then cannot finish work until seven or eight. But even then they don't always go home. They go out for drinks or dinner instead.

Lately the Spanish have begun to take the problem of sleep deprivation seriously. The police now question drivers in serious accidents about how long they slept the night before, and the government has recently mandated shorter hours for its employees to try to get them home earlier.

What has motivated the Spanish to take action against sleepiness is not so much their accident rate as their flat productivity. The Spanish spend more time at work and their productivity is less than most of their European neighbors. "It's one thing to log hours, another to get something done," Ignacio Buqueras y Bach, a 68-year-old businessman who has spearheaded the attempt to get Spaniards to bed earlier, lectured his countrymen in a Madrid newspaper recently. "Every once in a while we have to close our eyes," Buqueras told me. "We're not machines."

Oliva House is located in the heart of Old Town Oliva. During your stay enjoy a traditional siesta along with local businesses which close for a nap at around 1.00, re-opening again from 16.00 until 20.00.

Relax, enjoy your post-lunch siesta, you are in Oliva!

Hola Oliva tip
Oliva House is located on a peaceful no-though street, perfect to enjoy a post-lunch siesta during your stay. From €250 per week for the whole house, sleep five. We also rent long term during the winter months at reduced rates.
Feel free to email any questions or comments to mail@holaoliva.com