You watch sports on TV and before long, you see an ad for the 5 Hour Energy product. It’s there to save the day – marketing to people who generally feel tired in the afternoon and need a “pick me up” so this product promises to oblige.
Perhaps you’re tired in the afternoon because of your diet – there are some people who skip breakfast and then are ravenously hungry at around Noon. Needless to say, because of their level of hunger, they will typically overeat and within one or two hours, they are yawning, feel sluggish and are struggling to stay awake as the majority of the systems’ blood has gone to the digestive area to deal with the significant impact of a heavy meal.
Other people are tired in the afternoon because they are dehydrated. Perhaps they’ve consumed coffee for the majority of the morning, which is a diuretic, and haven’t replaced their fluid level with anything but coffee. They may not even eat any fruit or vegetables until that time which would add some hydration to their body. During the afternoon, they too are struggling to stay awake.
What’s my point? If you haven’t figured out already, I’m not a big proponent of the 5 Hour Energy product. It certainly might work in a pinch but from my perspective isn’t a long-term solution. Perhaps a walk is in order before you experience those mid-afternoon blues. Perhaps a little stretching at your desk or work area might work if that’s possible to do. There’s drinking water – whenever I’m sluggish at home during the weekend, I’ve automatically made the association to water, usually drinking at least 20 ounces. It does the trick 90% of the time. Perhaps if you feel the desire to reach for this product, you are dehydrated, eating too infrequently or eating too much for lunch.
Why not try eating smaller healthier, portions 5 or so times a day instead of just 1 or 2 large meals each day? Eating smaller meals might help steady your glucose levels where you’re less likely to experience a crash around 3 pm. Vitamins may help and even some deep breathing may help to oxygenate your blood.
Mind you, just because you’re sometimes tired and often see a commercial pandering to your tiredness doesn’t mean you need to automatically oblige – know you have alternatives.
As you've read, there are alternatives and other ideas one could do to combat that “feeling of tiredness” in the afternoon.
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