In what scenarios would delaying the execution of a PHP function be considered a best practice, and when should it be avoided?

Delaying the execution of a PHP function can be considered a best practice when the function relies on external resources that may not be immediately available, such as API calls or database connections. By delaying the execution, you can ensure that the necessary resources are ready before the function is called. However, it should be avoided in scenarios where immediate execution is required for real-time data processing or time-sensitive operations.

// Delaying the execution of a PHP function using sleep() for 5 seconds
sleep(5);
// Call the function after the delay
myFunction();