You can be the most energetic salesman in an auto shop or the most participative student in a lecture, and you could still feel tired in the middle of the day. Stress and drowsiness don’t discriminate. Feeling tired in the middle of your day isn’t only common. It’s normal, too. As human beings, we’re all bound to drain ourselves in one way or another. We have compiled a list of nine best practices so you know how to avoid sleep during the day. But like most of everything in life, there are many things we can do to counter feeling exhausted midday. This list will tell you exactly how to avoid sleep when you’re not supposed to just yet.
Here Are the 9 Best Practices to Avoid Sleep During the Day
Stick to a Bedtime
There’s a reason why parents make an effort in letting their children stick to a deadline. Because they understand that a child’s body is growing and that it functions best when it’s pace is respected, moms and dads are extra cautious when it comes religiously following a routine. But why have grown-ups seem to have forgotten that?
Waking up and sleeping at very specific times of the day make it easier for anyone to live active lifestyles and avoid the likelihood of getting a sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation can affect not only your body, but even your mind.
Make Time for Exercise
In order for the body to operate as smoothly and efficiently as possible, it has to be healthy; and being healthy calls for two things: diet and exercise. Once your body is more used to movement, it becomes a lot more energized and flexible. Falling asleep and sleeping soundly also become much more attainable if you’re never just idle or comfortably seated in one place all the time.
Not only do you become stronger and better able to physically take on the day, you’re also kept sharp on your feet. Exercising helps the brain, too! A busy folk? At least 30 minutes a day of high-intensity workouts is enough to power you through.
Drink Water
When people say water is life, they’re not just talking about birth and procreation. Being fully awake is one big benefit one gets from regularly drinking water. Sleeping on the job could mean losing your career.
So if you’re drowsy and not in the mood to work, drink lots of water. If you feel like it’s just not cutting it for you, try squeezing in fresh fruit. Perhaps, an orange? Maybe even a lemon?
Music Is Your Best Friend
If you’re one to feel sleepy at work all the time, listen to music. If it still doesn’t work, improve your playlist. The louder and more engaging your music is, the more amped anyone becomes. If you’re not allowed to play music out loud, earphones will do the trick. Being exposed to high-intensity music can help energize even the most humdrum person in the room. If it’s not that obvious just yet, avoid slow music when you’re sleepy.
If it helps, play your favorite karaoke tunes. While you may not actually sing out loud, the brain is woken up when it hears a song it likes to sing to. So feel free to sing in your head!
Coffee Is Key
If a nutritious banana or a minty candy won’t help you, coffee will. Although it does have a variable of effects to different people, caffeine is one that’s more likely to help you stay awake. It doesn’t matter if it’s hot or cold, being exposed to even the slightest hint of coffee is bound to wake you up in more ways than one. Just don’t forget to not overdo it.
Respect your diet and avoid too much sugary cups of coffee. Your main goal is to fight excessive sleepiness. Not give in to a craving.
Eating a Healthy Breakfast
Eating a healthy breakfast helps catapult your day from good to great. When you’re mostly full in the morning, you’re less likely to crave and eat more at lunch. That being the case, wanting to take a nap isn’t as strong anymore as you stay away from overeating. Diversify your first meal of the day. From proteins to the right amount of carbs, make sure you’re consuming a well-rounded meal.
While work lunches are usually just an hour, plenty of people tend to overeat to compensate for stress. Instead of feasting on a spread of food, try breathing exercises.
Don’t Take Naps After 3 PM
The best time to take a nap is usually around 1 PM to 2 PM. It’s generally understood that, by this time, you’ve already achieved quite a lot from your to-do list. Post-lunch drowsiness is a real thing, too, so don’t beat yourself up. Still, for best results, avoid napping at 3 PM onwards.
When you finally do decide to take a short nap, keep it between 10 to 30 minutes only. Anything beyond that will feel like an insufficient evening rest.
See a Sleep Doctor
There really is no substitute for seeking the advice of medical experts. Many times, sleep loss and sleep deprivation are side effects to even larger problems. Whether anxiety or another similar medical condition, plenty of factors can contribute to us not being able to sleep right away at night. For very obvious reasons, this affects how we work in the morning. And once work is affected, it’s likely for everything else to be, too.
There is absolutely no shame in needing to see a doctor, so do that if you must.
Meditation
Meditation helps you clear your mind. A lot of times, people turn to sleep because they’re overwhelmed. Some see naps as a short escape to the heartaches adulthood brings. Making the time to meditate midday makes you a faster, more objective thinker. Amidst a busy day, it also reminds you to be thankful. So choose to listen to the quiet. When you’re in your office, try sneaking in 3-minute breathing exercises in the toilet or in your car.
You’ll feel a lot more excited and fundamentally even more ready to get things done once your head is free from troubles.