0 a rest or sleep taken after lunch, especially in hot countries --
1 a rest or sleep taken at the beginning of the afternoon, esp. in hot countries --
Along with a nap (siesta) in the day, it has been argued that this is the natural pattern of human sleep.
The siesta after dinner is always slight, and sometimes intermitted.
After lunch there was a strict siesta (no talking allowed), followed by the afternoon activity based on the subject of the day.
It is possible that people who take a siesta have different physical activity habits, e.g. waking earlier and scheduling more activity during the morning.
And the elephant, like a man in the tropics, needs a sheltered siesta in mid-afternoon because he is susceptible to sunstroke.
Usually locals use the hottest hours of the day to stay at home, have lunch and a good siesta.
He slept very little, but passed in prayer the greater part of the night, as well as the time allotted for the "siesta".
I had my usual siestas on top of a guava tree one afternoon.
