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Afternoon Energy Boosters
Feeling lazy after lunchtime? Follow
these tips for beating the afternoon energy slump.
By Gina Shaw
WebMD Feature
Does
this sound familiar? You're going full steam ahead
in the morning, plowing through work assignments or
household tasks. You take a quick break for lunch --
or maybe just grab something at your desk -- and
plan on getting right back to your routine. Instead,
at about 2 p.m. you find your attention wandering
and your focus flagging, and all you really want to
do is take a nap.
How
can you get a quick energy boost to keep you going?
What's Causing the Afternoon Slump?
First, you should understand where that sudden crash
probably came from. "There seems to be a natural
rhythm or set clock in our bodies, so many people
tend to feel a little sleepy around 2 or 3 in the
afternoon," says Lona Sandon, RD, MEd, a spokeswoman
for the American Dietetic Association and an
assistant professor of nutrition at the University
of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
"There seems to be something natural about this
lull. Some cultures have the siesta, and people find
that they're more productive and better able to
concentrate if they take time off after lunch and
come back later."
WebMD's sleep expert, Michael J. Breus, PhD, author
of Beauty Sleep, explains that midday sleepiness is
like a miniature version of the drowsiness you feel
just before bedtime. "It has to do with a dip in
your core body temperature," Breus says. "Right
before you go to sleep at night, your core
temperature begins to drop, which is a signal to the
brain to release melatonin. The exact same thing
happens on a smaller scale between 2 and 4 in the
afternoon. It's a mini-signal to your brain to get
sleepy."
But
don't blame it all on your body's internal clock --
your body makes you sleepy, but your own eating
habits may make you fatigued -- for a double whammy
leading to a massive energy crash.
"Often, people don't fuel their bodies well enough
when they start the day," Sandon tells WebMD.
If
you're feeling sluggish in the early afternoon, ask
yourself these questions:
Did
I eat breakfast?
What
did I eat for breakfast? (A cup of coffee doesn't
count.)
What
did I eat for lunch? Was it from the vending
machine?
Your
answers may point to the problem. A cup of coffee on
the run for breakfast and a candy bar from the
vending machine for lunch may give you the quick
jolt of sugar and caffeine you need to get started,
but not the long-term fuel you need to keep going,
Sandon says. "They will only help for a very short
time, and it's not enough to keep the body and brain
functioning at their peak."
Foods for an Energy Boost
If
you want to beat the midafternoon slump, start first
thing in the morning with a good-quality breakfast.
(We lecture our kids about it, but how often do we
take our own advice?) Most women should be eating
about 300 to 400 calories for breakfast, and most
men, about 500, says Sandon. Instead of coffee and
half a Danish, try these options:
-
A bowl of cereal with skim milk and a glass of
juice or piece of fresh fruit
-
Two slices of toast with peanut butter and a
banana
-
An English muffin topped with a scrambled egg
and a slice of low-fat cheese
"You
need carbs to get your day going," says Sandon. "The
brain and muscles function best with carbohydrates
to fuel them. And we know from other research that
adding some protein to the carbs seems to boost
concentration levels as well. You feel better,
mentally and physically, when you've had a meal that
combines carbs and protein."
Sufficiently fueled by breakfast, you might feel
like it's OK to skip lunch or "just grab a salad"
because you don't have time or are trying to lose
weight. "That's a huge mistake people make at lunch
-- just having a salad with lettuce and a few
vegetables," says Sandon. "They don't have protein
with the salad, and then again they find themselves
crashing in the midafternoon."
So
if you're cruising through the salad bar at
lunchtime, top the greens with some diced egg, beans
or chickpeas, turkey breast, or cubed chicken to
give yourself that protein fix. Or smear some peanut
butter on your celery sticks.
And
avoid lunches that are heavy in fat; they take
longer to digest and sit in your stomach, feeling
heavy longer. "That gives you a sense of low
energy," Sandon says. "The calories may be there to
provide fuel, but the feeling of fullness leads you
to feel sluggish."
More Energy-Boosting Tips
But
what if it's too late to prevent the energy slump?
You chugged down a latte for breakfast, ate a skimpy
salad for lunch, and now you're drooping over your
afternoon reports. What can you do for a quick
energy boost? Resist the temptation to hit the
vending machines for a Diet Coke and a Snickers.
Instead, try Sandon's three-part solution:
Get moving. Take a brisk walk, or better yet,
find the staircase in your office building and do
five or six flights to get your blood pumping and
your body warmed up. In addition, taking your mind
off what you've been focused on and getting a quick
change of scenery (yes, even if it's a stairwell
instead of a computer screen) can help to
re-energize you. If you don't have a staircase
handy, try doing some squats and lunges in your
office, or keep a jump rope on the back of your
door. "You want anything that gets you breathing a
little quicker and moving the muscles," Sandon says.
Get wet. Take a drink of water, that is (don't
pour it over yourself). "A big glass of cold water
-- bottled, tap, or fountain, it doesn't matter --
can really refresh you," says Sandon. "Adding a
slice of lemon or lime can also perk you up."
Get
fueled. "If you weren't fortified well at breakfast
and lunch, you need to take a moment and have a
snack," Sandon says.
Good
options include fresh fruit, trail mix with nuts, or
whole-wheat crackers with string cheese. If you have
to go to the vending machine, look for peanut butter
crackers, a nice carb-protein combination.
Another option: shed some light on the subject.
A study published in 2006 found that brief (about 20
minutes) exposure to a bright white light increased
alertness and boosted the brain's responses."
Melatonin can't be produced in the presence of
bright light," Breus tells WebMD. "If you know you
usually feel sleepy around 2:30 or 3 p.m., go out
for a walk around 2:15."
What
about closing your door and taking a nap? It's
tempting. "Catnaps are great -- unless you have
insomnia. There's evidence now showing that the last
time you were asleep affects how long it takes you
to fall asleep at night," says Breus.
But
if you aren't struggling to sleep at night, a quick
catnap can help with that energy crash midafternoon.
Just don't sleep too long! The length of the nap
will determine how good you feel. About 20 minutes
works quite well, but much longer than that and you
will wake up feeling terrible."
©
WebMD. All rights reserved.
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"Often, people don't fuel their bodies well
enough when they start the day" |
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