13 August, 2014

By VIVA Team

Time for a siesta? There’s an app for that…

While the stereotype of lazy Spaniards catching forty winks every afternoon under the cooling shade of tree-lined boulevard may be as strong as ever, the actual siesta custom is in danger of dying out in Spain, with new research showing that only 10% of Spaniards find the time for a siesta on a regular basis.

However, all that could be set to change with the launch of a new smartphone app…Designed to re-inject some vigour into the fabled afternoon nap, the smartly titled SiestApp has been developed by a group of Spanish boffins eager to maximise the mid-afternoon nap with the promise of leaving its users more rested than ever before.

Backed by medical studies that show a 20-minute nap in the middle of the day improves the condition of the heart, can lift the mood and raise alertness, the App’s developers have created a nifty piece of software that will wake the user just before they enter that deep, third-stage of sleep that can bring about drowsiness in the wakee.

“The key to the perfect siesta is to wake up before hitting this stage,” said Martinez Mateo, one of the SiestApp’s programmers. “If you enter this deep sleep phase, then you have to finish it, otherwise you wake up in a terrible mood.” The SiestApp monitors each user’s breathing and movement, and will sound an alarm just before the sleeper begins to enter the deep third phase.

The app’s launch comes at a time when the traditional Spanish custom is seriously on the ropes, with a study by Spanish mattress maker Pikolin last year finding that only 10% of Spaniards now find the time to grab a quick snooze during the day. According to the experts, that number is higher in Germany – a country famed for its efficient workforce.

However, while the study may be representative of a wider trend, particularly in the more hectic cities such as Barcelona and Madrid, Mateo believes that the siesta tradition is alive and, well, sleep-kicking in the smaller towns and resorts of Spain.

“And on weekends, of course you have a siesta. A good meal and a good siesta. For us, it’s sacred.” Now, if only there was an app that warned you when you were in danger of eating too much…