3 Ways To Avoid The 3pm Crash

Do you find yourself falling asleep at work around 3pm on most days? Don’t worry you are not alone on this one because it happens to many people… not just Dads! It can be pretty hard to stay in a productive, energetic state when you hit this point of the day.

One of the reasons this occurs is due to your bodies natural circadian rhythm but we can’t go off for a snooze whenever we feel like it, imagine saying…

‘Sorry boss, I have to leave work not, my circadian rhythm has kicked ilown and I need to sleep, see you tomorrow?’ 

But for many, it’s going to be down to blood sugar level control and is hugely affected by your food choices since our brains are also affected buy having a large meal or even the wrong one in smaller quantities.

If you are filling up on food that is mainly carbohydrate based, this will all be converted to glucose to be used for energy. The result is rising blood sugars which will ultimately crash, leaving you feeling low, this is unofficially known as ‘the crash’ which will undoubtedly have you running for a Starbucks to pick yourself up again.

But it isn’t just the carbs that are the problem, ‘heavy’ meals which are high fat can also force your body to work extremely hard to break down your food, causing us to feel extremely tired too.

Here are 3 easy tips you can implement right away to ensure you don’t feel like sleeping at 3pm

TIP #1 Do not skip the most important meal of the day… your breakfast

When you skip your breakfast, you are not fuelling your body or mind to take action in the day… remember you have already been fasting for 6-8 hours! Missing your first meal of the day makes you much more likely to over eat at lunch time due to excessive hunger levels which cause fatigue due to heavy meal digestion and also crashing blood sugars, causing drowsiness. This is also important to rev up the metabolic rate which is essential if you want to keep your weight in check.

TIP #2 Focus on protein and complex carbohydrates for lunch

Focusing your lunch on simple, refined carbohydrates such as wheat based bread, juices or snack bars are going to rob you of your blood sugars, leaving you drained and reaching for the biscuit tin or an extra large coffee with sugar! By having protein with your meal, this will promote a slower release of energy from your food plus including complex, quality carbohydrates which are less processed will give you energy, without hitting the waistline. Good choices are brown rice, sweet potato, 100% spelt bread or any whole grain food will give you what you need.

TIP #3 If all else fails, change your environment and move your body

Sometimes, sitting in the same place can be a real energy drain. If you can get out for 5 minutes of fresh air… do it! Alternatively, get your blood flow and circulation going by taking a brief walk to energise the body and the mind so you can come back to your task fresh. This is always good excuse to grab some water too since staying hydrated will make a huge difference to your energy levels!

If you want more expert tips on how to improve your health, energy, body and mindset, then click below and check out the Ultimate Dad Podcast 🙂