Afternoon slump

laccy40

I have been lucky enough to get a promotion through a staff development program, but to keep it I have to pass a series of exams. The first 10 are from mid Feb to mid March. Office logistics mean that I will probably have to take them about 2 or 3pm. The trouble is I have a real energy slump for 1-1.5 hours after lunch. I typically have a sandwich on whole meal bread and a small salad or piece of fruit. I eat breakfast and snack on generally good stuff throughout the day. I'm not hungry after lunch, it's more like I want to take a nap while I digest! After my slump I get an energy boost which carries me through the evening. I don't notice this after breakfast or dinner, but it may be more noticeable at work. Would changing what I eat help? Or do I need to eat a really early lunch and starve all afternoon on exam days? Maybe I should just down a strong coffee after lunch! My diary is open, any suggestions?

melaniecheeks

If your relying on carbs for lunch (bread etc), then that might be causing the slump. Can you change the times that you eat?

pinky_pinkster

Try and drink a big class of ice water when you get the slump to wake you up a bit - always helps me :-)
Or if you can eat a few little meals during the day instead of lunch, this could help as your body is constantly digesting the food instead of trying to digest a bigger meal which can make people feel sleepy.

jenilla1

I get excited when I take exams (I'm a good test taker) so just taking an exam would perk me up. I read something about chocolate. Apparently it's supposed to boost your performance if you have a little chocolate right before. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

laccy40

Thanks all, I did wonder if it was bread causing the problem. I've just booked all my times and they're either 11am or 2pm, so on the afternoon days, I'll try eating my sandwich at 12 and having a small snack at 1.30. I'm loving the idea of a piece of chocolate (am I allowed another piece afterwards to celebrate?) and I'll take a glass of cold water with me.

Mokey41

Get creative with lunch and lose the sandwich everyday. There are so many other things you can eat for lunch that will give you a boost instead of putting you to sleep! A pile of carbs and protein is a recipe for a nap. You get a sugar rush from the carbs then a drop off with slow digesting protein. Actually in looking at your diary you spend a lot of your calories on breads.

laccy40

I have had a thing for fruit toast in the morning, so yes I am eating more bread. The office I used to work in had a kitchen so I used to have soup most days, but my new workplace doesn't. It does have a canteen which specialises in sausages and chip butties so I'm not going near there. I'm not a big fan of salads although I will have a small one a couple of times a week. What else can I pack in a bag for work that doesn't need to be heated up or cooked?

Mokey41

You can always put soup in a thermos to keep it warm, chop veggies, cheese, some meat and have it with a few crackers if you like instead of bread, purchase a cheap tiny microwave and find a corner to put it in so you can heat food, make salads with ingredients that you like instead of just lettuce. I sometimes take a can of tuna, add chopped veggies, small dollop of mayonnaise, bit of cheese, some salt and pepper. Sometimes you have to think outside the box.

laccy40

No chance of taking a microwave to work - strictly no personal electrical devices allowed. Are crackers any different from bread? I assume pasta would also have a similar effect to bread.