How do you deal with the after lunchtime sleepiness at work?

Eat food that doesn't make you sleepy?

62

This is the best measure (preventative). Carb heavy lunches will wreck you. Save the carbs for after work, fall asleep on the couch watching TV, then wake up with a sore back.

53
- You have truly lived.
  
  30
- I really wish napping on the floor model couch wasn't frowned upon. A couch is only as good as its napability, how am I supposed to know a good nap couch unless I test it first? Same goes for recliners and mattresses.
  
  9
- Also a light lunch.
  
  Eat too much and you're ready for a nap.
  
  5
Jep, low carb, no added sugars.

Select food that keeps the blood sugar from going nuts.

12
Good advice. Still remember the food coma I had when I had a heavy casserole for lunch, with lots and lots of cheese. Almost fell asleep at my desk, even though I had coffee afterwards. There’s a right time and place for lots of cheese, but it isn’t the office.

3

Gosh there's an interesting divide here between the camp that tries to hack their body (skip lunch, protein only, heavy caffeine use, methylphenidate) and those that adjust to their body (napping, walking/other exercise, adjusting scheduling to allow for a slump).

This is just my opinion but the first group is full of terrible ideas that will leave you exhausted/starving at the end of your day while prioritizing work over life - while the second group is giving their body a rest and will likely have more energy at the end of the day. It's not worth working yourself into an early grave.

61

And then there's the very obvious middle ground - just. don't. eat. so. much.

Most of my adult life (18-40) was working in some sort of labor intense industry. There's an age range where your body needs that energy because it's continuing to grow and get used to your work life. But then you get older, your body ages, chemicals change, muscles change, your job description changes. And a lot of people, well into their twenties and thirties, continue to eat like they're still in their teens. That's how you get fat.

And being tired after you eat is your body telling you that something is no longer the same. Why are you tired? Because you fekkin ate too much and your body can't metabolize that food as quickly as it used to - ya big dummy.

I'm now in my mid-40s, I work from home and sit at a desk. I eat smaller portions throughout the day. I have one cup of coffee in the AM. I usually get about three hours of walking in a week and a solid eight hours of sleep with no alarm. I'm nearly full of energy as soon as I get out of bed and I'm rarely tired during the day (unless it's a stressful day).

So, if you find yourself getting sleepy after lunch, try eating half of it a half hour earlier than you would normally eat. Then wait an hour. If you're still hungry, eat half of the remaining half. Wait a half hour and eat the rest if you're still hungry. And drink a lot of water. It's helps move things around, fills you up. and keeps you hydrated. Dehydration can make you sleepy too.

18
- While thus advice comes across as judgemental and obnoxious, it is infact accurate and good advice for everyone. Listen to your body, take your time to eat, eat reasonably well, drink water, go to bed at the same time every day and get 7-8hrs sleep. You'll live longer.
  
  5
Heavy workload is less of a predictor of heart attacks than the level of autonomy and flexibility one has at work.

Working hard isn’t that bad for you. Being demeaned is the silent killer.

9
I'm pretty sure there are a lot of us in neither camp where we just don't have an after lunch slump. I only get sleepy after eating if I have an absolute buttload of food, which I tend not to do on my lunch break at work.

5

Primal scream therapy. Great for keeping you awake. Plus it keeps terrified coworkers from bothering you at all ever.

37

Do I wait until my coworkers try to talk to me to do the screams?

12
- Proactive screaming is best screaming. Bonus points if it sounds like someone who isn't you is being brutally murdered
  
  1

Half hour nap. Plus caffeine afterwards.

34

Caffeine just before imo (and after if you must). It takes like 15-45 mins to kick in

8
- I'll try it although I think that part of the "wake me up" effect is from drinking it signalling to my body "nap is over, move". So I guess that I'll end drinking it twice.
  
  3
Same here when I can get it. Otherwise just coffee and movement. Getting my brain into another task helps too.

3
I really cannot function without that half hour nap. But unfortunately I can't do it at work 😞

1

I retired.

25

So you are re-tired? 🤣

18
Physical or mental?

1

It depends on your age or health I guess. I'm now 34 and I am learning some types of food will tend to make me sleepy while others will help me stay away and focused for longer (or maybe they just don't make me sleepy?)

Basically avoiding any type of heavy carbohydrates does the trick to me. Bread, spaghetti, potatoes, milk (in your coffee).

If I do get sleepy, also not sitting straight after lunch helps, I recently got a standup desk and I stand the first 30 min after lunch for work, really helps.

Also avoid any kind of sugar at all costs. Candies, dessert, ice cream, chocolate, sweetened coffee, and counterintuitively even some fruits such as bananas may give you a sugar crush.

23

Similar age, noticing the same. It never used to matter. Although I also used to have jobs where I was on my feet all day so I’m not sure what is aging and what is living a sedentary life. I usually have a handful of almonds in the afternoon and that’s fine. Also avoiding afternoon coffee seems to help.

But I’ve started walking for a half hour before work and after a couple weeks, I feel like I have more energy in general.

3

Take a 5-10 minute walk. Research has shown it'll reduce yor blood sugar after a meal by up to 50%.

22

Sounds interesting. Do you have a source for the mentioned research?

5
- I may have misremembered the exact amount... It was shared on Lemmy not long ago, but I'm not finding it with search. 🫤
  
  3
Goodness, that's a surprise! Seems way too good to be true

2

A siesta, it's healthy and natural.

14

Wish I lived somewhere I could do this. I start falling asleep at basically 2pm on the dot and have to get up and go for a walk

3

I lay down on couch for 20 minutes.

When I work from home. In the office I can not manage to rest even on the couch.

11

When I worked in an office I’d head out to my car and lay the seat back for 15 minutes of shuteye.

14
- Good idea.
  
  3

Permanently Deleted

9

The spiders and ants when they see a portable cave to enter and live in:

-5

Dont eat that much?

9

I realised it was from eating sugar and carbs (especially a 600ml coke and white rice) and so stopped eating as much carbs.

8

I always took a late lunch so I only had two hours left of work when I was done lunch. I can deal with being sleepy for two hours.

8

2 cups of coffee (1 with breakfast, one mid morning). Small lunch.
10-20 minutes eyes closed/nap. Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

I try to take cat naps, but you would be amazed at how big a difference just closing your eyes for 10 min makes. Mid day brain haze completely gone!

8

I drive for UPS and the pick me up I get from taking a quick cat nap in the back of the truck cannot be overstated.

4

Not well

8

By not having lunch.. just a snack really

7

I don't have enough time in which to eat at work. That said food doesn't make me sleepy.

7

If work doesn't give you time to eat, unionize or quit

6
- Mate, I am in a union, and the Teachers Federation even got us our pay rise, which should start this month. We are all looking forward to it. But school is over fast, I find I forget to eat at the gaps, better to eat before and after school.
  
  2

Since being diagnosed with ADHD and taking meds, I no longer have this problem.

7

Have a job where you don't get to sit down, that did the trick for me

7

Avoid carbs and drink more water.

7

I try to eat less the next time. I find that there is an optimal amount of food that prevents me from being hungry that doesn't causes tiredness.

6

It's also about what one eats. I find fatty food to be the worst. It takes so much energy to digest I literally fall asleep at the table.

3

Permanently Deleted

5

Caffeine

5

The same way I deal with morning sleepiness. A quadruple espresso.

5

That much caffeine doesn't make me less tired, it just wires me

1

Can't speak for others but I notice I only feel sleepy if I have a huge meal. A normal sized meal followed by a fruit usually keeps me going till home time.

5

Yeah I think the problem is overindulgence, not necessarily what you're eating or that you'd need special tricks. Just ease back a bit. You don't need to stuff yourself over lunch unless you live in a society where lunch is your largest meal of the day and you get a siesta afterwards.

2

Standing desk. I don’t get tired.

5

Yeah this really helps. I sit down when I get tired of standing and that's fine. But when I leave the desk, I raise it to a standing position so I remember to continue standing when I come back.

4

Eat a modest portion and eat something with plenty of fiber. But you may need to experiment as everyone's body works differently. Lentil soup/stew/salad has been my go to.

4

I take my afternoon dose of ADHD medication right after lunch to try to get rid of the sleepiness.

4

I don't eat lunch

4

Exercising has really helped with this, and getting better sleep (the 2 go together I think)

4

Avoiding heavy lunches helps a ton too!

1
I have learnt my lesson and concluded that the combination of:

getting (half)naked sunbath for 30 minutes twice a week

exercising

proper sleep with unbroken 90-100 minute cycle phases (not waking up between a cycle, no erratic shitty alarms)

no nocturnal peeing (do not overload with water before sleeping, pee before you sleep)

is the ultimate formula to a healthy, active and long lasting life.

Add a 10-15 minute power nap during midday/early evening and you are golden.
-2

limit my caffeine in the morning

2

I start some easy task so I'm distracted from that im tired. Then it flows from there.

2

Eat less and drink more water

2

Wake up slow then eat a huge breakfast. That gives me plenty of energy for the day, then my lunch can be smaller.

2

Coke Zero hits the spot for me

1

Skip lunch

1

I try and schedule my "collaboration" time then because conversation helps, and a lot of times it's not entirely work related. For real though my focus is gone until later at night by this point, so it is what it is. My coworkers and managers are fine with it.

1

My lunch is usually a can of Monster and a handful of Ibuprofen, but I'm under no illusion that doing so isn't slowly killing me, so probably don't follow my lead here.

-1

Most people (that can get away with it) basically just check out after lunch. In a 9-5 job the majority of work happens in the window of 10-12.

-1

I usually eat lunch in about 10-15 minutes during a meeting so I don’t have a choice to slow down and get sleepy. That kicks in later on the drive home.

-2