La Siesta Growing up in an American lifestyle is extremely different than growing up in a Spanish lifestyle. Americans grow up with the mind-set that “sleep is for the weak”, and in order to be successful you must push yourself both mentally and physically at all times and hold an always-on-the-go attitude. Within the Spanish culture, la siesta is defined as a time of peace in the midday after the lunch time meal where a short nap is taken (What Is a Siesta?). La siesta has differences within the countries in the Spanish-speaking world. It has even been extended in some regions to just a period of time for relaxation for an hour or more at the person’s home before returning to work. Other areas use la siesta as a time to socialize with family…show more content… Teachers that don’t understand cultural differences may view these students as being uncooperative and lazy, which could further result in discipline issues with the student being punished for something they are unaware is inappropriate in American culture. Although sleeping after lunch is uncommon due to the extreme workforce in America, it is not uncommon for a short nap to be taken after returning home from work or school at the end of the day. This is commonly referred to as a “power nap”, which is the equivalent to la siesta but just scheduled at a different time of the day. When communicating with Spanish natives, explaining this time difference would be very beneficial and may help them adjust into the American culture a little…show more content… The reason for such unhealthy ways of gaining energy is because there is little regard or care for effects of ridiculous work schedules or study schedules on health in the American lifestyle. People in Spanish culture find their recovered potential through rest or relaxation during la siesta, where they take the time to appropriately recover sleep, visit with family and friends, or even just relax and ease their mind (Don Quijote). This time is taken for Spanish natives to recover from a long morning’s work and feel more confident in their abilities to do a better job for the remaining hours of the work day