City receives grant for SIESTA Project

The City of Cedar Springs is about receive a nice piece of stimulus money for their participation in a new pilot project to be funded by our federal government. Clinical research has proven that stress, as well as sleep deprivation, is a number one cause of general illness, such as colds, general viruses such as flu and a number of other maladies that cost the nation literally millions in lost wages as well as medical costs.

After reviewing and then applying for the SIESTA grant, the city was chosen as one of several hundred across the country to become part of the experimental program, deemed the SIESTA Project. The name comes from the cultural tradition in Mexico of taking naps in the middle of the day. This program proposes that Americans do just that. Take a nap!

“As early as Kindergarten we had to take naps. But as adults, not only do we not get naps, but we often don’t sleep enough to stay alert and healthy,” claims Dr. Schnoure, an MD with the sleep disorder clinic in Seattle, WA.

With the implementation of the program, businesses located within the city limits will be required to shut down for one hour every day between noon and 1:00 p.m. They will be compensated for the hour paid to employees, as well as additional funding for possible business lost. “The funding amount will depend on how much that business would normally take in during that period of the day,” said Jose Smith, an official assigned to the project.

It’s natural, doesn’t cost anything and you don’t have to go to the doctor for a prescription. And no one would complain if their doctor wrote them a prescription for one! Residents who wish to volunteer to be paid to take a nap every day can apply with the city either online or just go in person to city hall and ask about the program.

The sounding of the noon siren, located in the center of the city, once used to call farmers in from the field at lunch, will now signal “naptime” for all citizens of Cedar Springs.

“We’re getting money to take a nap!” said a man on the street. “Awesome!”

The project will launch on April 1, 2010. When you hear the noon siren blow, grab your pillow, find a nice soft spot to lie down and take a nap!