Fighting Tiredness Throughout the Day
You’ve read our articles about how to get those elusive 8 hours and you know prevention is better than a cure, but sometimes things just don’t go to plan. After-work drinks escalate, or you enter a Netflix hole that you just can’t seem to climb out of. So, when you’ve failed at your night-time routine and wake up feeling tired, foggy and moody - what can you do to help yourself get through the day? Here’s the cheat sheet you need…
Drink More Water & Less Caffeine
Reaching for coffee, coffee and more coffee is our usual go-to cure, but over-using this pick-me-up can also make you irritable and jittery or will make you crash later on – neither of which we want! Try to limit yourself to 1 or 2 caffeinated drinks and sip on as much water as possible. Dehydration can worsen fatigue and grogginess.
Eat Smarter
If you’re anything like us, tiredness = all the sugar cravings. Try to fill up on a fibre-filled, slow-releasing breakfast instead, and focus on plenty of veggies, protein and healthy fats throughout the day too. The energy from sugar will be short-lived, and the subsequent blood sugar crash will have you snoozing through your 4 pm meeting. For a mid-afternoon sweet snack, try some homemade protein balls, a protein shake or a good old piece of fruit!
Take a Break to Move
Taking a short break when your productivity starts to wane is a great way to boost your focus and give you a quick energy burst. Go for an easy gym session on your lunch break, take a quick walk outside in the fresh air, or if you’re really short on time, just walk up and down the stairs!
Stand Up
Slumping at your desk all day is doing nothing for your tiredness, or your back! Take the chance to stand up whenever you can – if you can bag yourself a standing desk, even better.
Change Your Environment
Neither artificial lighting or a warm environment aids any office sleepy heads. Heading to a lighter, brighter or cooler part of the building is great to give your brain the kick-start it needs. If you can get outside – this is even better and could improve your mood, productivity and ability to absorb new information!
Switch Up Your To-Do List
Many of us experience an energy-lull mid-afternoon. Often, we turn to caffeine or sugar to help us power through, but we recommend switching up your to-do list instead. Try to get any important, brain-intensive tasks out the way in the morning and leave research or admin for when the afternoon slump hits. This simple schedule switch will do wonders for your overall productivity and the quality of your work.
Cold Water
Splashing cold water on your face is a simple, but effective method for when desperation strikes! Sometimes it’s all it takes to rid yourself of that sleepy feeling – give it a try next time you can feel your eyes drooping at the office…