How do you beat the afternoon fatigue?

jonsjanuary

I'll be sitting at my desk and start to fade around 2:30 in the afternoon. I've been trying to schedule a break and go walk around for about 15 minutes, but I need other ideas too. I'm in an office. What's a good idea to wake myself up again? Bear in mind, that no matter what my level of exhaustion is, I will still hit the gym after work.

SamjdRH

Hi Jon's. I get this too... u need an ice cold glass of water. I feel like this most days... and I think it's down to dehydration. Even put in a little light exercise. I tend to find a few light house chores perk me up a bit.. ironing... washing... hoovering or dusting. X

jonsjanuary

I'm in! I will try it. Thank you .

Bonny132

I walk the stairs at work and make myself a cup of hot water to drink.

indiacaitlin

I get this too, I usually have lunch 1-2 and then before 3pm hits I'm struggling to stay awake usually I try and get moving if I can and make sure I'm hydrated. It usually passes after half an hour or so!

ma2007pmc

Nuts. Currently enjoying unsalted sunflower seeds and pepitas.

ninerbuff

Get more rest before work. That may mean going to bed 30-60 minutes earlier than you are now.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Alienique

For me, a little bit of sugar does the trick. If you want to avoid added sugars, go for a serving or two of fruit - it should boost your metabolism enough to get you functional again. Also, make sure you've got fluids in your system. Dehydration is usually the main culprit when it comes to random doziness.

rankinsect

I usually eat a light lunch, I find it helps keep me alert during the afternoons. It's when I eat a big heavy meal that I feel lethargic afterwards.

ponycyndi

Yep. Ice cold water, as much as I can drink, then a brisk walk. And then a second walk to the bathroom. Works every time.

jayv85

I wish I knew. I start getting really sleepy around then too. I usually just drink a lot of water and suffer through. Lol

lilstry

Usually I drink green tea in the afternoon. Also eating a smaller lunch helps. Idk why but when I would eat a large portion of food during my lunch hour I would feel extremely sleepy.

bclarke1990

Managing insulin can help too.

mrbullfrog

Get on your feet and off your *kitten*. A few minutes of exercise will help if stuck at a desk all day. I'm don't get the same feeling as my job is physical and fast paced (beer sales) and never in one spot for vary long.

ninerbuff

lilstry wrote: »

Usually I drink green tea in the afternoon. Also eating a smaller lunch helps. Idk why but when I would eat a large portion of food during my lunch hour I would feel extremely sleepy.

The body works on digestion and there's usually an increase in insulin which releases seratonin and melatonin, both related with drowsiness.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jonsjanuary

Thanks, everyone! I made myself a list to try to figure out what will work. I appreciate all of it!

sllm1

I found out that a gluten allergy was causing my afternoon slump. Of course, that's certainly not the case for everyone, but cutting out gluten (particularly at lunch) really helped.

jonsjanuary

That's really good to know. I'm going to try to start walking my lunches and drinking iced green tea first. I hope it's not an allergy, but it will be interesting to see how I react to the other solutions people provided. I can't try everything all at once, so I figure I will give it a month and then see about decreasing gluten if the slump doesn't abate.