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How To Avoid Being Sleepy At Work
By
Patricia | August 31, 2009
You wouldn’t be the first person who has been feeling sleepy at work. Most people feel tired during the day because they have not had uninterrupted, peaceful sleep at night. Increased stress and tension affect the quality of life, and in turn, reduce the hours you are able to sleep every night. The reduced sleep affects your work routine. The causes to feel sleepy and fatigued are quite simple and easily changed but often difficult to change.
Not managing to sleep for about six to eight hours can lead to a great dip in energy during the day. Constant sleep deprivation can lead to many long term problems including lowered productivity, reduced concentration and loss of appetite.
How to prevent being sleepy during work hours.
You can try different tips and remedies to help your body deal with fatigue better.
- Ensure that you eat a hearty breakfast and have a reasonably light lunch. Your breakfast should include whole grains and protein that will give you energy to work. Lunch should provide nutrition but not bog you down. Sandwiches, fruits, yogurt or salads are good options for lunch.
- Avoid artificial stimulants like energy drinks or tea and coffee. These drinks provide a false sense of energy and actually drain you much more. Cut down or stop smoking completely if possible.
- If your job involves sitting for long periods (as is the case for most people nowadays), get up and take a short walk around the office. Get some office supplies or get a drink of water. Stretch your muscles.
- Ensure that your office area is ergonomically well designed along with being well-lit, spacious and clean. A good environment can make a big difference to productivity and energy levels.
- Avoid drinking at night or eating heavy dinners. Try not to watch television while falling asleep. Such interruptions affect your quality of sleep.
- Try and slowly develop a lifestyle of eating right, exercising and sleeping deep. Slow and steady changes take time but have great returns. Include meditation or some form of breathing exercises in your routine.
- You could also try stretching and moving around two to three times a day. Touch your toes, twist and bend to improve the flow of blood, and let your body and mind know that in spite of being stationary for long hours you are awake.
- Take a break from your work to chat with your supervisors and co-workers. Not only will it keep you awake but also enable your relationships to get stronger.
- Negative emotions can also make you sleepy at work as they will drain your energy and leave you mentally exhausted, so it is necessary to avoid those feelings.
- Conditions like hypothyroidism and incontinence can cause you to feel sleepy all the time.
Fatigue is a common symptom of hypothyroidism, Feeling dizzy is another symptom of hypothyroidism
If regular steps toward reducing your sleep deprivation and fatigue are not helping, you might need to check your hormone levels. Sometimes high levels in different hormones can also lead to a variety of health conditions. Hyperthyroidism is one of them. Fatigue is a common symptom of hyperthyroidism. Check with your doctor in case the problem persists despite taking measures to solve them out.