I would run for the fresh pot of coffee one of my coworkers would brew up every afternoon around 3pm. She called it her "Special" brew, but really it was just two of the packets of coffee in the industrial sized machine instead of one. The pot always would go FAST as fellow bored, tired and droopy co-workers would smell the pungent aroma, wafting lazily through the taupe walls of our prison. It was the ONLY way to get through the next two hours of bleary telephonic work.
Or so I thought.
Now, I'm working at home as a full time telecommuter, but I still feel the pull of the 3pm sleepies, that time frame after lunch where you get hit full on with the overwhelming need to nap, your productivity takes a plunge and everybody around you knows not to ask any questions or risk certain demise from your crankiness. This phenomenon is so widespread that they even made commercials for it, in an attempt to sell more nuts. (Mmmm...almonds...)
How do you combat this though? Is the double up caffeinated beverage the only answer? Should you swill one of those tiny little bottles that promise you "Hours and hours of energy"? Should you give in and take a snooze at your desk, risking the wrath and scorn of your superior? NO! (Unless you're planning on getting yourself fired anyway...then, go for it!)
Here are some suggestions for getting through the afternoon with enough pep to get through the rest of the afternoon.
1. Space out your meals. I was a desk eater and many of you probably are too. I never would take a proper "lunch" break but I'd often munch away while working, usually on the worst sorts of snacky items I could find (Some cookies to go with my double coffee? Oh....shortbread cookies!) Instead of snacking/grazing though, try eating three small meals while in the office (easy..break your breakfast into 2 meals, one at home and one for a mid morning snack, and your lunch into two meals...one at noon and the other around 2-3pm.) This will keep your blood sugar steady. Especially if you make sure to include some slow carbs AND protein with each mini meals.
Example:
Breakfast: 1 egg scrambled with 1/2 small zucchini. Top with salsa and a small amount of cheese if you wish (without cheese, you're paleo!)
Breakfast snack: 1/2 cup yogurt with 2 plums, or 2 Tbsp unsweetened raw almond butter with 1 apple (paleo)
Lunch: Large salad topped with 2 oz tuna, oil (1 tbsp olive, walnut or avocado) and cider vinegar (2 tbsp) to make a dressing, cucumber slices and mushrooms.
Lunch snack: 1 cucumber and 1 small tomato sliced and dressed (oil and vinegar) and 2 ounces of cooked chicken breast.
With each of these you get slow carbs from the fruits/veggies and protein to keep your blood sugar levels steadier. You're getting plenty of carbs, fat and protein, which will help you feel more awake and alert through out the day.
2. DRINK WATER: we are chronically dehydrated in this country. And yes, coffee is wet but it's not water, so don't reach for it! Start the day off before breakfast with a full 8 oz glass of water, and keep it going throughout the day. If you are feeling sleepy in the afternoon, go into the break room and fix yourself a glass. One of the signs of dehydration is confusion and lethargy, which feels a whole lot like the mid-afternoon sleepies.
3. Ditch the caffeine entirely: Whoa...sounds counter intuitive right? But caffeine is rough on your system. Coffee has a mildly diuretic effect which can pull off water leaving you a bit dehydrated (caffeinated tea does the same, along with irritation your bladder to make you need to go more frequently) and you go through the caffeine ups and down. Try switching to an herbal tea instead. If you want the "comfort" of a sweet warm drink, there are some awesome herbal chai teas out there. Fix a mug with stevia to sweeten and some REAL heavy cream (or full fat coconut milk) for cream. All the comfort of coffee, bold taste and warm comfort.
4. Knock out the sugar: Jam on your toast in the morning, a donut at that breakfast meeting you're forced to attend, a slice of your bosses "world famous" chocolate peanut butter cake, a handful of the chocolates the receptionist keeps...(EVERY time you walk buy...), a mid afternoon soda pop...suddenly you're swimming in SUGAR! Offices are full of the stuff. I swear it's the only way sometimes that people don't kill each other during the long dull goal meetings. Avoid it at all costs! Sugar is not the answer to your 3pm lack of energy. In fact, it will only make the rest of the day that much harder at it hits your system full steam them BAM, is gone, leaving your cells wondering what to do next. Instead practice the slow but steady eating described above, and keep those blood sugar levels EVEN, which also will help keep the cravings down.
5. Take a lunch time walk: I loved seeing the girls who I work with doing this. They'd be out hoofing it, in their business casual wear and sneakers, name badge pinned primly to their hips as they moved down the office park road. Walking, or any other form of exercise will help to stimulate you're brain, moving oxygen into your cells and keeping you awake and alert! It also helps to move sugars/carbs into your cells which gives them more energy. Not to mention the fresh air outdoors is a HUGE improvement to stuffy office air. Trees, sunshine, wind...all help to reduce office related stress and fatigue. Don't think about work, put on some tunes and walk!
6. Organize a book club in the office: If you can't walk at lunch, meet up with your buddies and talk about something OTHER than work. This will give you the mental stimulation you may need to be able to tackle the rest of your day. A book club is a good idea, or you can talk movies or play games. Anything but worrying over the meeting coming up that afternoon or the new regulations rolling out. Make your lunch hour your own, your time to decompress so the rest of the afternoon won't drag.
7. Get enough sleep at night: This seems a no-brainer but really, it's hard! Try for a 10pm bed time, every single night. That may mean you need to have the TV OFF at 9pm (no prime time TV..sorry) so you can spend an hour winding down for bed. Read during this time, stay off the computer or tablet ( the back lit screen can mess with your sleep cycles). When bedtime comes, settle into a quiet dark room. If you have trouble falling asleep, try standing up on the side of the bed and reading THE MOST BORING book you have in your arsenal. You'll start to feel sleepy in no time. If you still can't fall asleep, repeat the process. Keep doing this for several nights and you'll "train" yourself that sleep time is sleep time.
8. Before you sleep, avoid wine or alcohol: Yes this is a night time thing, what does it have to with the 3pm sleepies? Well, a good nights sleep goes a long way to getting through the next day. Alcohol, despite making you sleepy, will NOT promote a good nights sleep. It only hinders you getting through a good normal sleep cycle, so don't go for the night cap. Try some herbal tea instead.
9. Keep your body temp steady while in the office: Dress in layers. It's always inevitably to hot or to cold in most offices so come prepared. Keep a sweater at the back of your chair, some fingerless mitts or make sure you can take off your suit jacket. Anything to keep you comfortable because being to hot or cold will lead to you feeling tired.
10. Keep a small fan at your desk: Offices are stuffy places filled with chemicals that rise from everything from printers to carpets. Most of them also don't allow for opening windows to let in fresh air. Keeping a small fan on at all times will help to move the air around you, making it feel "fresher". Fresh air does wonders for keeping you alert!
Have any thoughts or tips of your own? Let me know!
(*In the interest of full disclosure, I am writing this blog at 1:12 pm...while drinking a cup of fully caffeinated coffee. Hey, I never said I was perfect! )
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