Beat the afternoon fatigue

Filed in archive Health on August 10, 2006

You know that sudden feeling of overall tiredness that tends to grab us around 3pm? You know: your brain stops cooperating, your legs and arms become so heavy and the only thing you really want to do is to call it a day and head home to a meeting with your cozy bed.

That's afternoon fatigue, or slump as some call it. Although reasons for this can be numerous - from not getting enough sleep the night before to skipping lunch, the worst thing you can do is to get a big cup of coffee and remain at your desk.

Here's what doctors and scientists recommend: First of all, get up and move around. It would be best if you can go out of the office and take a short walk, ten minutes should be more than enough. If you can't leave your office, take the first memo you see and go climb some stairs, the memo being your cover. If you shouldn't stand up when being at work, open up the window and take slow, deep breaths: inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Second, try some amateur aromatherapy. Research shows that scents of orange peel, peppermint or rosemary can have an invigorating effect. You can simply put your favorite oil in a ceramic diffuser, or better yet, get the whole set.

Your last resort in overcoming the afternoon slump is food. With food I don't mean chocolate, which will give you the instant rush and make you even more tired after a while. I'm telling you to eat some fruit (apple, nectarines, peaches, bananas etc.), or to nibble on some almonds (without added sugar). You could also ring for a delivery of healthy food.

Please note that you should visit a doctor if these tips don't help you. She could run some tests and see for sure if you lack any vitamins or are developing some kind of an illness.