Call them as you like: naps, power naps, or afternoon naps… those 30 minutes of postprandial rest are a sine-qua-non daily feature for many people around the world, but perhaps no one appreciates them and made them part of their culture as much as the people of the Mediterranean and the South Americans. 

For way too much time, the unfair and rather offensive joke that we napped in the afternoon because we were lazy made the rounds in other countries. Truth is that, as it is easily noticeable, the afternoon nap is more common in areas of the globe where the hours after lunchtime can become significantly hot. So they were, at least in their earliest years of existence, the result of the sheer necessity to stay away from the scorching sun during the warmer part of the day.