(Part 2 of 2)
The Afternoon Slump
You need something—a candy bar, a caffeine IV, just one blessed minute to close your eyes. Hey, are you awake? “The midafternoon slump is actually a true physiological event,” says Edlund. “During this time of day, your core body temperature plateaus, which can bring on sleepiness.” And if you slept poorly the night before, you’ll probably notice a more significant slump the next day. This is also the time when your cortisol level drops, and along with it possibly your mood, energy, focus, and motivation, says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., a holistic nutritionist in Woodland Hills, California. Luckily, there are easy ways to snap out of it (that don’t involve curling up under your desk).
Boost flagging get-up-and-go with light, activity, and well-timed snacks. These all send your body cues that help set and reset your internal clock. (Experts call such cues
zeitgeber, from the German word for “time giver.”)
Whip out a purse energizer. Dab on an alertness-boosting product, such as Aveeno’s Smart Essentials Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment, which comes in a tiny stick with a metal ball top that can be rolled under the eyes for a magical cooling effect. Or, for an instant spa treatment, spritz on Citrus Purifying Mist from Jurlique.
Move (just a little). You knew it was coming: the part where you need to stand up and walk around. Stay with us—a little physical activity really does give the mind a jolt. “Movement requires a lot more alertness than sitting,” says Edlund. “You stimulate your whole brain by asking it to sort through all kinds of visual and sensory cues.” A 10-minute walk can increase your energy for up to two hours, according to research from California State University at Long Beach.
Stay awake in a deadly meeting. It’s a cruel reality that you’re often stuck at a conference table during this low period. Here’s how to maintain consciousness.
Focus: “Curiosity is known to be tremendously energizing,” says Borysenko,“so give your brain something to engage with.” Imagine that you’re listening to the most fascinating subject. Take notes. Ask questions. Presto—not only are you not asleep but you’re also the most dynamic person at the table! (Maybe you’ll get promoted and you won’t have to sit in these meetings anymore.)
Drink ice water: Cold H2O might aid in keeping you awake by setting off pain triggers, according to researchers at the University of Chicago.
Don’t stifle that yawn: Yawning may help you stay alert because it can lower brain temperature, which promotes mental efficiency, says Andrew C. Gallup, a postdoctoral research associate in ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University.
Make tomorrow’s to-do list today. Rumination activates some parts of the prefrontal brain regions that have been associated with depression, says Boulder, Colorado–based clinical psychologist Joan Borysenko, the author of
Fried: Why You Burn Out and How to Revive. Fretting over what you have to do tomorrow will take the enjoyment out of your evening, so make the next day’s to-do list now. Then, when your mind drifts to what you didn’t accomplish, remind yourself that you have a game plan in place.
Have a snack. The afternoon doldrums may be why the English invented teatime, says Victor Sierpina, M.D., a professor of family and integrative medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. But pass on the scones and clotted cream. As with breakfast and lunch, something packed with protein will give you sustained energy.
A few quick ideas:
- Instant oatmeal with milk
- String cheese
- Soy chips
- Edamame
- Carrots or pretzels and hummus
- A container of cottage cheese or yogurt with fruit preserves
- Peanuts in the shell. (Extra nutrition points because they take longer to eat, so you probably won’t scarf down so many. Also, they lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol.)
Commute with music. To help yourself switch gears, turn on upbeat tunes. Music promotes so-called respiratory entrainment—meaning we pace our breaths to the beat (and oxygenate the brain in the process).
Give them a high-octane hello. Even if you just want to crawl into a bubble bath, give an enthusiastic greeting and a big smile to your family when you reunite at the end of the day. “Acting ‘as if’ is a long-standing strategy for feeling better,” says Jeff Brown, a cognitive-behavioral psychologist at Harvard Medical School and a coauthor of
The Winner’s Brain. You’re sending uplifting cues to the reticular activating system of the brain, which can eventually help make you feel as energetic as you’re pretending to be.
The Evening Shift
Don’t let the dinner rush sap your joie de vivre. Keep calm and carry on, so you can have a peaceful evening that will lead to a good night’s sleep.
Exercise (if you haven’t already). An early-evening workout may help you sleep. A study from Northwestern University, in Chicago, showed that insomniacs who did about 40 minutes of moderate cardio between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. four times a week got an average of 75 more minutes of sleep a night. Choose an easy routine and finish two hours before bed, says Kori Malyszek, a coordinator for the Equinox Fitness Training Institute, in Los Angeles.
Dig in to a bowl of pasta. Complex carbs—like in risotto, pasta, or polenta—increase levels of tryptophan, which improves sleep, says Ansel. Eat at least three hours before bed so you can digest it efficiently.
Take a hot bath. When you step out of the tub, your core body temperature immediately drops, which may help you settle in for a deeper sleep, says Perlis. Lather up with bath products with a soothing scent, like lavender or chamomile.
Watch soothing television. Yes, those gripping dramas tend to come on at 10 p.m., but that’s what DVRs are for: Watch those shows early the next night and chase them with something benign. (
The Golden Girls is always on somewhere.)
Sleep Well
A truly energized, productive day is possible only after a relaxed, restorative night. “Your alertness during the day is dependent on the quality of your sleep and on getting undisturbed sleep,” says Thomas Roth, Ph.D., a psychologist and the director of the Sleep Disorder Center at Henry Ford Hospital, in Detroit. Research has shown that seven to eight hours really is the ideal. Start preparing yourself about an hour before bed, advises Michael Perlis, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology and the director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania. “You need to allow yourself to decompress and unwind,” he says. Physically and psychologically, you’ll be better prepared for quality sleep.
Read something calming. Look for the literary equivalent of comfort food: pleasant narratives. Maureen Corrigan, a book critic for NPR’s
Fresh Air and the author of
Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading, recommends the anecdote-filled cookbooks of both M.F.K. Fisher and Laurie Colwin. “My idea of perfect bedtime reading is Barbara Pym’s
Some Tame Gazelle, a comic novel about two sisters in an English village in the 1930s,” says Corrigan. “For the ideal Pym experience, you should be wearing flannel pj’s and have a cup of tea.”
Use an evening alarm. “Set the alarm on your watch or phone to remind you when it’s time to get ready for bed,” says Rubin Naiman, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, in Tucson, and the author of
The Yoga of Sleep. When the alarm sounds, start turning lights off around the house to let your body know it’s almost time to call it a night.
Create the best sleeping conditions. Experts say the ideal sleep environment is:
- Cool (About 65 to 70 degrees.)
- Dark (Throw a towel over the lights on your LED clock if necessary.)
- Quiet (Try a white-noise machine or ear plugs—helpful for those who sleep with a snorer.)
Learn your rhythms. We tend to assume that “early to bed, early to rise” types are more energetic and productive. Consider Ben Franklin and Keith Richards. Whom do you think of as healthier (though maybe not wealthier) and wiser? But turning yourself into a morning person doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have more energy. The most important thing is getting enough restorative rest, period, says Michael Terman, Ph.D., a clinical professor of psychology and the director of the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at Columbia University Medical Center, in New York City. (Though it is true, he says, that early birds are less likely to be affected by insomnia and depression, both of which can take the wind out of your sails.)
To find out your circadian-rhythm type—that is, whether you’re a hard-core morning person or better suited for a late bedtime—try Terman’s 19-question online quiz, the Automated Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, at
cet.org (click on Therapeutic Resources & Tools). (It’s based on a paper-and-pencil test designed 50 years ago to determine which workers would do better with morning, evening, or afternoon assignments.) You’ll get a personalized profile with a close prediction of your “natural” bedtime (the time your body tells you it’s ready to turn in). You may not be able to alter your natural circadian rhythms, but you can identify the optimal time to expose yourself to light to fight morning grogginess and make every day a little, well, brighter.