Spanish mayor institutes daily nap time for entire city

ADOR, Spain, July 16 (UPI) -- A Spanish mayor has become the first in the country to issue a proclamation creating an official afternoon nap time for the entire city.

Mayor Joan Faus Vitoria of Ador in Valencia declared 2 to 5 p.m. as the official time for the city's residents to take their afternoon siestas.

The edict asks residents to keep quiet during the siesta hours and the mayor recommended children be kept inside to prevent noise from traveling into open windows.

The mayor said the nap time was chosen due to the high afternoon heat making 2 to 5 p.m. the ideal time to take a break from working in fields.

Vitoria said there will be no penalties for violations, and the edict should be treated as "merely a suggestion" rather than an "obligation."

A study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in February espoused the health benefits of an afternoon siesta.

"Our data suggests a 30-minute nap can reverse the hormonal impact of a night of poor sleep," said study author Brice Faraut of the Universite Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cite in France. "This is the first study that found napping could restore biomarkers of neuroendocrine and immune health to normal levels."