Do you often feel worn down, tired, fatigued and sleepy by mid-afternoon? Well you're not alone. This is a common phenomena and to a great extent, it's entirely natural. The human body's natural circadian rhythm, this is, the urge to sleep or wake based on our internal clocks, predisposes us to getting sleepy at some point between lunchtime and the end of the workday.
This occurs from the body naturally reducing its metabolic activity during the mid-afternoon. Most people experience this slide between 2:00 and 4:00 PM.
Diet
The relationship between diet and afternoon sleepiness is rather controversial. The natural circadian rhythm of the body is unlikely to be influenced by what you eat, so total avoidance of this natural phenomena is very difficult.
However, some dietary changes can reduce the severity of afternoon sleepiness. The basis for this is to minimise foods that exacerbate sleepiness.
To minimise afternoon fatigue you should:
* Avoid any alcohol with lunch.
* Try to adopt a different lunch pattern: some people respond to a high carbohydrate meal with feelings of fatigue, and some people become energised; some people respond to a high protein meal with fatigue; and some people become energised. You might want to try out one kind of meal for a week, and see whether it helps or hinders; and then try the other. Choose the one that works best for you.
* You might also try to eat less for lunch and then have a snack when you feel the fatigue coming on. The same principles apply for the snack as apply for lunch - try high protein or high carbohydrate - one may work better than the other - people are individual!
* Some health professionals recommend a large, non-carbohydrate breakfast and small lunch to avoid afternoon tiredness.
* Avoid fatty, fried foods at lunchtime. These require a great deal of the body's energy for their digestion and this diverts blood flow away and oxygen from the brain and into the digestive system. Low brain oxygen contributes to afternoon sleepiness.
* Avoid foods that are high in tryptophan (a sedating amino acid). Tryptophan helps your body to produce the neurotransmitter that is associated with tiredness, serotonin. Foods that are high in tryptophan include chicken and turkey and this is why many people fall asleep after their Christmas dinner.
* If you try a high carbohydrate diet, still avoid simple sugars (for example table sugar, sweets) as these cause a sharp spike in blood sugar (energy) followed by a rapid fall in blood sugar (known as hypoglycemia). This low blood sugar is an important factor in afternoon sleepiness.
Exercise
Don't forget to look into the benefits of aerobic exercise. Sometimes you have to spend some energy to get some energy. Gentle exercise before going to bed can improve sleep and reduce fatigue the next day. Exercise during the morning can also help to crank up your metabolic rate and counteract afternoon fatigue.
Night-time Sleep
Getting a good night's sleep can minimise the next-afternoon feeling of fatigue/sleepiness. Lack of sleep, in particular can contribute greatly to next-day tiredness.
People who regularly engage in exercise experience better sleep. Regular exercisers fall asleep faster, sleep more deeply and awaken less frequently than sedentary persons. Regular exercisers spend a greater proportion of sleep time in deep sleep compared to sedentary persons.
Iron
For some people, the normal afternoon slide; is made worse by iron depletion, which can cause a loss of stamina. You need blood tests to determine whether you are iron depleted. If you are iron depleted, iron supplements may help.
Melatonin
Many melatonin users without any noticeable symptoms of circadian rhythm disturbance are now using melatonin to enhance their circadian rhythms. They report that it helps them get to sleep and helps them sleep more soundly. It also makes them more alert the next day and lessens mid-afternoon tiredness.
In all cases, melatonin should be taken at night (preferably before midnight) before going to bed. That's when your pineal gland naturally releases melatonin. Taking melatonin at night helps restore and maintain normal circadian metabolic rhythms.
Other Fatigue-fighting Nutrients/Herbs
Noradrenaline is the neurotransmitter that exerts the opposite effect to serotonin. It is the stimulatory neurotransmitter that provides alertness, energy and anti-fatigue effects. Two amino acids that are available as supplements are used by the body to produce noradrenaline. They are phenylalanine and tyrosine. The best time to take these amino acids is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach as they do not work towards building noradrenaline in the presence of other foods in the stomach.
Coenzyme Q10 is an energy-providing nutrient that enables your body to convert carbohydrates into useable energy. It functions as a coenzyme for the energy-producing pathways of every cell in the body, generating the body's universal energy molecule, ATP.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) also provides you with fatigue-fighting energy. Many people who use supplemental vitamin B5 notice almost immediate increases in their energy levels. As its effects occur so rapidly, you could keep a bottle of this vitamin with you at work to use straight after lunch in order to beat afternoon tiredness.
Aspartic acid functions as a stimulatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Several studies conducted in the 1960s found that aspartic acid (taken as a combination of magnesium aspartate and potassium aspartate) reduced fatigue and prolonged work endurance and exercise endurance. People who experience mid-afternoon tiredness could crank up their alertness levels using a combination of these aspartic acid salts.
Siberian ginseng helps to improve low energy and work output. It sometimes provides a quick hit of energy as it stimulates the function of the adrenal glands.
Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) was found during the 1950s and 1960s to delay the onset of fatigue. This effect occurs from Korean ginseng causing the muscles to use free fatty acids for energy production. This reduces the reliance on glucose and other carbohydrates for energy production. In addition, it increases the oxygen-carrying ability of the bloodstream through its beneficial effects on haemoglobin.
One of the underlying features of afternoon fatigue is a reduction in the delivery of blood (which carries oxygen) to the brain. Ginkgo biloba is known to improve blood circulation to the brain.
This article is courtesy of Thexton - Your Online Health Store