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Avoiding the Slump
Posted on Aug 16, 2016
No, not another post-Brexit diatribe, nor a comment on our economic future. This time we're looking at something rather more personal, something that we have to fight to overcome, that tries to catch us out. It's that post prandial temptation to close the lids and, for just a few minutes, to slip Lethe-wards into the Land of Nod in other words to make zzzeds and have a gentle restorative snooze after lunch.
All of which may be fine if you work in an environment where there's nothing wrong with your gently vibrating snores being heard by all, but if yours is an office where being at work means precisely that, then keeping sharp and avoiding that after-lunch energy slump may be something you just have to do
And here's how you can do that.
First, thirst! Keep drinking. Don't wait until you're thirsty, because if you're deeply involved in what you're doing workwise your brain will ignore what your body is telling it. Drinking the right amount of water is as much habit as need, so get into the habit and drink those litres. You'll find your concentration improves and you'll feel a whole lot better.
Incidentally if you don't like the still stuff drink fizzy, contrary to what you may have heard carbonated water is just as hydrating as still water and does not leach calcium from your bones, enamel from your teeth or give you kidney stones. On the other hand, you may find yourself burping at unfortunate moments.
Secondly, sleep when you're meant to, at night. We've written about burning the candle at both ends before, it always catches up, and it catches you out when you don't want it to, usually at work and after lunch!
Thirdly, control the caffeine. It's a drug. Nothing wrong with drugs, I hear you say hmm, well in moderation, what we're really saying here is that you can't control your sleep pattern with coffee. It will keep you awake when it shouldn't and not keep you awake when you'd like it to.
Fourthly, don't rely on lunch. Have as leisurely a breakfast as you can manage, a snack mid morning, something really light for lunch and another snack during the afternoon.
We asked our favourite nutritionist, Clare Stone (http://www.claire-stone.com) for her top tips on this subject, this is what she told us:
Around 20 minutes before you eat lunch, have a glass of water.
You need a lot of water to process a meal, so having water before the meal will make sure you don't suffer when your digestive system takes all the water from your brain (not quite literally), making it hard to think and stay awake.
Chew your lunch. When you chew it, you'll eat a tiny bit more slowly. Which means you'll be less likely to fill yourself up so much that you start falling into post-lunch sleep mode. You don't need to worry about the amount you eat - just chew it and you'll naturally eat the right amount.
Wouldn't life be so much easier if we could learn to just chew it and we'll naturally eat the right amount?