Life in a city, especially a metropolis, has a lot of temptations and opportunities. Success is what we want to achieve. It brings material benefits, helps to ensure a decent standard of living for our loved ones, and most importantly – gives a sense of satisfaction from self-realization. It is in the pursuit of success that thousands of citizens get into their cars in the morning or fill up public transport and go to work. And here we are at the workplace, where all the necessary conditions for fruitful activity have been created. Forward! There are many tasks, but the reward will be success! But an unexpected problem appears: instead of labor accomplishments, you feel unbearably sleepy at work, especially in the afternoon. What can be done about it?

The need for sleep for the body

Every day we feel the pressure of a large mass of information. Waking up in the morning, we immediately turn on the computer, TV or radio to find out the latest news. For self-realization in the information age, you always need to be aware of current events. No wonder the proverb is so popular: “Who owns the information, he owns the world.” The brain continues to absorb all sorts of information from a working radio when we are heading in a car to a duty station. What can we say about the working day, when there is simply a huge amount of news and data passing through itself. Moreover, this information is not always neutral or causes positive emotions, sometimes it is negative and leads to stress. And he, in turn, have an unpleasant tendency to accumulate in the nervous system.

An analogy can be drawn with a ship: while sailing on the seas-oceans, the bottom of the ship is overgrown with tons of mollusks and various microorganisms. As a result of this, the weight of the vessel increases significantly, the speed decreases, the ability to maneuver decreases, and fuel consumption increases. If you do not periodically clean the bottom of the ship from the build-up that has formed, then the ship will simply sink one day.

Sleep is necessary for the body to ensure all its physiological functions. The nervous system during the day experiences significant overload from the shaft of information and stress, which, like the aforementioned shellfish, stick around it, reducing the efficiency and productivity of its work.

During sleep, the nervous system rests and recovers from overload. The information that enters the brain during the day is sorted “on the shelves”. Various information “litter” is removed, making room for the news of the coming day.

Why do you want to sleep at work?

Sleepiness in the workplace during the daytime is not uncommon, this symptom is familiar to many. This is expressed in lethargy, absent-mindedness, loss of concentration, heaviness in the head. The condition is unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous, if it overtakes, for example, not in the office, but while driving a car. What is the reason for its appearance?

The prerequisites may be different. Much depends on the state of health, age, climate, lifestyle, mental characteristics of a person. Here are the most common ones:

• You don’t get enough sleep. On average, an adult needs eight hours of sleep a day to rest and recover. Perhaps, due to some peculiarities of the body, you need a longer rest (nine or ten hours). It is worth trying to revise your daily routine, allocate more time for sleep.
• The diet lacks essential vitamins. This problem is solved with a visit to the doctor. You will be prescribed a diet that includes the whole range of useful substances important for the life of the body. Your doctor may prescribe vitamins and supplements.
• You don’t have enough oxygen. The lack of this element significantly affects the well-being and activity. The solution to the problem also lies in revising your daily routine. If you take a daily walk for an hour in the fresh air before going to bed, this will saturate the cells of the body with oxygen. Sometimes a walk can be replaced with an oxygenated cocktail that can lift your tone.
• You sleep too long. Paradoxically, too much sleep is also a cause of daytime sleepiness. You need to train yourself to go to bed earlier and get up early in the morning. According to scientific research, brain activity is most effective between six and eleven o’clock. This means that the most important work should be planned for the named time.
• Accumulation of stress. If you are worried about a serious problem, then you can’t fall asleep for a long time in the evening. Sleep will be restless, often interrupted, unpleasant dreams are possible. You can not accumulate stress in yourself, you need to learn how to get rid of them. A frank conversation with a friend or loved ones will help. If it is available, it is better to go to a psychoanalyst. Daytime sleepiness for a similar reason is a subconscious desire to get away from unresolved problems. And this “flight” will not stop as long as the question that caused it is relevant.

There are many other reasons for such a common problem in the information society as daytime sleepiness. For example: an excess of a sedentary lifestyle, a lack of activity. This is solved by an elementary set of physical exercises. Even three minutes spent on gymnastics will relieve drowsiness, raising the tone.

Dehydration can also be a source of daytime lethargy: you need to drink at least two liters of water per day. In order not to forget about it – put a bottle of mineral water and a glass on the desktop.

And the last: the causes of daytime lethargy can be the result of chronic or past diseases. Among them: low blood pressure, disruption of the thyroid gland, head injury and so on. Lethargy can also be the result of a side effect of medication.

Why do you want to take a nap after dinner

If we compare our body with an orchestra, then its conductor will be the nervous system. It regulates all body functions and is divided into two components, the purpose of which is opposite. First: sympathetic, its duty is to activate all muscle groups, increase the reaction. The second component of the nervous system: parasympathetic, its duties are to reduce the heartbeat, relax the muscles.

After eating, the conductor’s baton is in the hands of the second component – the parasympathetic. At the same time, an active rush of blood to the digestive tract system begins. This is due to the need to digest the food eaten. The organs that are responsible for this process require more energy, provided by a rush of blood. To protect against possible stress and activation of the sympathetic component of the nervous system, which can interfere with the processing of food, signals to relax are sent to the brain. Hence there is a desire to sleep after eating. The more abundant the dinner, the more sleepy.

In addition, the occurrence of a drowsy state can also be provoked by certain foods rich in glucose. It enters the blood after the breakdown of carbohydrates, which are complex and simple. They affect the level of activity of the body.

• Simple ones are quickly processed, sharply saturate the blood with glucose and energy, then there is a sharp decline. It causes drowsiness and lethargy.
• Complex carbohydrates are processed longer, gradually, without jerks, saturating the blood with glucose. The result of this is that the body will receive energy for a long time.

Foods containing simple carbohydrates: confectionery, honey, sweet soda, jam, ice cream, fruits.

Foods rich in complex carbohydrates: legumes, cereals, whole grain breads, green vegetables.

Ways to help you cheer up

Daytime sleepiness is insidious and overtakes us unexpectedly at the most inopportune moment. Situations are extremely unpleasant. For example: it is necessary to perform complex and responsible work that requires the mobilization of all forces and concentration, but the body is clearly not ready for this. Lethargy, sticky eyes, a heavy head are not the most successful prerequisites for effective work. But the situation is not hopeless, there are a number of available ways to help drive away drowsiness. Here is some of them:

• Drink a cup of coffee. A traditional well-known method that allows you to fight sleep. However, the statement that this is the most effective invigorating drink is not entirely true. After drinking a cup of coffee, you really will become more efficient in a short time, especially if you lie down for 15 minutes until the caffeine begins to take effect. But some drinks are more effective in invigorating, although they do not have the same fame as coffee. This is water with lemon juice, green tea with mint or cumin, cocoa with orange juice.
• Cool and ventilate the room. If the room is warm, stuffy and there is an excess of carbon dioxide, then the body will inevitably respond to such conditions with lethargy and apathy. So turn on the air conditioner, open the windows. Coolness and freshness keep the brain in good shape, the body is forced to be active in order to maintain the necessary thermal balance of internal organs.
• Get some exercise. A simple but very effective method. If you do short workouts twice an hour (squats, push-ups), this will definitely get rid of daytime lethargy. The blood is saturated with oxygen, resulting in a boost of energy.
• Wash off with cold water. Light water procedures for a while will lower the body temperature and invigorate.
• Turn on bright lights in the room. You can just move the curtains if it’s a sunny day outside the window. If it is cloudy or dark outside, then you need to turn on all the lights in the room. The vital systems of the body are sensitive to the abundance or lack of light, in the twilight it will inevitably fall asleep.

There are many more ways to overcome sleepiness. You can chew gum with menthol, jaw movement and active salivation will fool the brain, which will begin to prepare the digestive system for food processing. The process will be accompanied by the release of insulin, this will give a boost of energy.

Help get rid of daytime sleepiness neck and head massage, loud rhythmic music, conversation with colleagues on abstract topics.

You can add aromatherapy: any bright smell invigorates, it is best to use the aroma of mint, eucalyptus, rosemary.

What will not help: inefficient ways

Do not trust advertising and use the following methods to drive away sleep:

• Energy. Their effect is short-lived. Despite the promises of manufacturers, you still won’t be able to get a charge of vivacity for the whole day. And for health in general, energy drinks are not good.
• Drugs for drowsiness that stimulate the brain. Any pills and infusions should be prescribed by a doctor after an examination and diagnosis. Self-administration of drugs (even plant-based ones) can provoke the occurrence of unwanted side effects. If your drowsiness is chronic, consult a doctor, he will prescribe a course of treatment. A single dose of medication is not suitable for an emergency measure to cheer up at work if you really want to sleep.
• Instant coffee. This product is only able to give a short-term effect. When choosing coffee as a stimulant, give preference to custard.

What to do if you have not slept all night

It is especially hard to be in shape after a sleepless night spent having fun in a club with friends or on a romantic date.

To save your day at work, try the following:

• Give preference to a light breakfast: yogurt, fruit. Do not eat anything fatty and heavy, this will make you want to sleep even more.
• Pour cold water or take a contrast shower.
• Do gymnastics or a few simple exercises to disperse the blood, saturate the brain with oxygen.
• Take mint-flavored lollipops with you. Their cooling effect will distract you from sleep.

How to get rid of sleepiness at work during pregnancy

Expecting a baby is a special, significant period in the life of women. At this time, various changes occur in the body, which are sometimes difficult to combine with work. One of these features is the appearance of drowsiness during the daytime. Lethargy and relaxation are especially pronounced in the early stages of pregnancy. This is due to the fact that a lot of the hormone progesterone appears in the blood, which helps to relax the muscles.

You can drive away drowsiness at work during pregnancy in all of the above ways: airing the room, bright light, washing with cold water. Physical exercise will be effective, but, of course, adjusted for the specifics of the state of pregnancy. You can, for example, turn your head, stretch your arms, do breathing exercises. The best kind of warm-up is a walk in the fresh air. Especially carefully you need to monitor the diet: avoid fatty foods and foods containing simple carbohydrates, drink more water. And most importantly – positive emotions! Do what you like and daytime sleepiness will disappear.