It was 2:23 p.m. on a Wednesday, and I had shit to do.
All my brain wanted was to work, but all my body wanteddesperately, infuriatinglywas to shut down.
Halfway through transcribing a quote, my fingers stopped typing, and I slipped into a state of lethargy.
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Why must this wretched, somnolent beast visit me day after day?
And they wont cost you a cent.
Why do I suddenly feel major tiredness in the afternoon?
As it turns out, the post-lunch dip is a bit of a misnomer.
For the longest time, we thought it was food-related, Dr. Van Dongen says.
But thats actually not likely the cause at all.
But your circadian rhythm keeps that from happening.
Those hormones fight against your urge to sleep until bedtime.
Then, your body releasesmelatoninto reduce your wakefulness so it’s possible for you to get some rest.
But when you dont get enough sleep, the system gets out of whack.
The result of that lack of sleep?
And then you experience that post-lunch dip.
The best way to eliminate the dip is to consistently get a great nights sleep, ideally every night.
Even getting a few nights of good sleep probably isnt enough to cure your exhaustion.
Dr. Reid and Dr. Van Dongens number-one recommendation: Just give in to the dip and get some rest.
Nap sleep is regular sleep, hour for hour, Dr. Van Dongen says.
Im a big proponent.
(According to theCDC, you should cap short naps at 30 minutes, max.)
(If you fell asleep, youd fall and hurt yourself.)
If you could take a walk or get some other form ofexercise, great.
But if you cant, even a few minutes of standing and pacing around should help.
You might find that once you sit back down, you get tired again.
If that happens, take a stab at stay upright.
And if youve got a standing desk, break that bad boy out.
The moment you stand, youll feel that pressure for sleepiness less strongly.
Light acts on centers of the brain to increase alertness, basically, Dr. Reid says.
And it has immediate effects.
It works very, very quickly.
And its efficacy depends on thelight in your environment.
Thats also the case when it comes to the post-lunch dip.
Social interaction is a very powerful way of keeping you awake, Dr. Van Dongen says.
Its very difficult to fall asleep if youre engaged in an interesting conversation.
If youre feeling extremefatiguein the afternoon, consider, say, giving your mom a call.
Its especially effective if you combine it with a nap, according to Dr. Reid.
The caffeine takes about half an hour to kick in, she says.
One of the first potential culprits your doctor will likely explore:sleep apneaor othersleep disorderslikeinsomniaornarcolepsy.
It doesnt really matter which particular strategy you employ to make it past the post-lunch dip.
All that matters is that you power through itor seek help if it starts to take over your life.
[The dip] is limited to that time that roughly coincides with when we have lunch, typically.
If you might just get through it, you will be better again.
Consider testing out each of these strategies to see which oneor which combination of themworks best for you.
And if you could, make a run at get at least seven hours of sleep a night.
Its important to remember that the root cause of the post-lunch dip is failing to getnjnfjewnqfonmmf.
Fnjewnfjie$$U(OImmkdmk.
Its a little after 1 p.m.
I accidentally conked out for a second.
