Crazy sleep traditions around the world

Crazy sleep traditions around the world

You may think that everyone everywhere sleeps alike. That everybody in the world has similar sleep cycles. Guess you’re wrong. Clinically proven, an average of 7-8 hours of naptime is necessary for everyone, but different people have found different ways to reach this optimum. Here’s a roundup of the craziest sleep traditions around the world:

Britain: Nude Sleep Scenes

A staggering 1/3 of Brits report sleeping naked. This can be attributed to liberal relaxation ideals and acceptance of sleeping naked. This can have a host of health benefits, including better temperature regulation and bonding with your partner. The UK thus prefers it stripped.

Bali: Meditative Sleep

In Bali, Indonesia, people have been observed to practice a form of meditative sleep called “fear sleep” or “todoet poeles.” This means, in a crisis situation, they can instantly fall asleep. This instant deep sleeping technique is a cultural acquisition to combating fear and stress. This is a scientifically helpful technique, which allows better dealing of situation and reduces stress to produce Zen-like calm.

Botswana: Skip the Schedule

A hunter-gatherer tribe, the Kung of Botswana, and the Efe of Zaire do not commit to stringent sleep patterns. Their nap habits are very fluid without restrictions.  They sleep whenever they feel tired regardless of the time of day. While it may seem, irregular and scattered, it is actually a sure-shot way to feel well-rested and to reduce anxiety.

Australia: Sleep Together

In Australia, the aboriginal tradition is reflected in their sleeping behaviour, choosing to sleep for protection and peace of mind. There’s often a row of mattresses in one area, with the children and vulnerable elderly accommodate in the center of the pile, and the stronger adults outside protecting the group. Co-sleeping is shown to increase closeness and bonding as a family.

Japan: Sleeping At Work

 Image: theflyingtortoise blogspot

Japan has a culture of sleeping when at work, a tradition called ‘inemuri’ which means “to be asleep while present.” This can be traced to the fact that the Japanese are a hardworking people and sleep least, and thus these power naps are used to increase creativity and focus. Inemuri is meant to depict the tiredness from working hard and thus the desire to climb the corporate rung.

P.S. Images belong to respective sources and are simply for representational purpose.