Here’s how the story may go: You wake up in the morning ready to tackle the day. You’re in a groove. You’re getting things done. But then the clock strikes 2 p.m., and you’re hit with a wave of fatigue. Suddenly, a nap feels tempting.
In these moments, you may be experiencing what some people call an afternoon energy slump.
“It’s really important for people to understand that this is normal physiology,” said Stephen Justin Thomas, president of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Some places around the world embrace our natural inclination to rest in the afternoon by temporarily closing businesses or setting aside time to relax, Dr. Thomas said.
But it’s not always possible to sneak in extra shut eye in the middle of the day. Here’s the science behind this energy dip and ways to manage it.
What causes the afternoon slump?
Sleepiness is widely believed to be influenced by both circadian rhythms and sleep pressure, said Dr. Ian Katznelson, a neurologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital.
Circadian rhythms dictate how bodily functions ebb and flow over a roughly daylong cycle, experts said, and these rhythms are largely set by a biological “clock” in the brain. Sleep pressure, meanwhile, is the idea that our need to sleep gradually builds the longer we’re awake.
Our circadian rhythms are influenced by the environment, which means we generally feel awake and alert during daylight, and sleepier when it’s dark. But some fluctuations are normal: For instance, people tend to feel quite awake in the late morning, said Dr. Alon Avidan, a professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles, but experience a dip in alertness in the afternoon — when certain neurotransmitters linked to feeling awake may become less active.
Sleep pressure is generally lowest when we wake up in the morning — the body is like “a battery that is fully charged from getting a good night’s sleep,” Dr. Avidan said. But the longer we’re awake, the more our energy drains and the stronger sleep pressure becomes, he added.
During the afternoon slump, those two forces — sleep pressure and circadian rhythms — are essentially “fighting each other,” said Dr. Ravi Allada, executive director of the Michigan Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan. When we feel drowsy, the pressure to sleep is winning the fight, he said.
How long this feeling lasts can vary, but people tend to get a “second wind” in the early evening, Dr. Avidan said. The dip may feel worse, however, if you’re sleep-deprived or have an irregular bedtime schedule, said David Earnest, a professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at Texas A&M University. Sleep disorders including insomnia or sleep apnea can exacerbate the feeling, too, he said.
Does food play a role?
You’re likely to experience a slump regardless of what you eat, experts said. But sugary foods and meals containing refined carbohydrates like white bread or pasta can leave you feeling more lethargic, said Sai Krupa Das, a senior scientist at Tufts University specializing in energy metabolism.
When the body digests those foods, blood sugar rises and prompts the pancreas to secrete insulin, Dr. Das said. But sugars and refined carbs are digested quickly, which means you’re more likely to experience a brief surge in energy followed by a period of sluggishness caused by the extra insulin in your blood, she said.
To stave off the midday slump, consider replacing breakfast foods like doughnuts and “sugar-spiked” coffee with more healthful alternatives like eggs or whole-grain oatmeal, Dr. Das said. Complex carbs take longer to digest, and are less likely to cause an insulin spike, she said.
How else can I manage the feeling?
Take a power nap. Under most circumstances, the best way to reduce sleepiness is, of course, to sleep. If you can nap, keep it to 20 minutes or less, Dr. Thomas said, or you may wake up feeling groggy or struggle to fall asleep later.
Prioritize easy tasks. If you’re feeling tired when you want to be productive, consider doing something that requires less focus, said Ron Goetzel, director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This can include sorting through your email inbox or filling out a routine spreadsheet, he said.
Get some movement. Try going outside for a walk when you feel drowsy, Dr. Katznelson said: Research has long linked physical activity to improved alertness and concentration, he added.
If you still find yourself “so sleepy to the point of dozing off unintentionally,” there could be an underlying problem, Dr. Avidan said, and you may want to consider adjusting your sleep habits or visiting a doctor.
There’s usually no need to worry, though. “If someone has this post-lunch or early afternoon sleepiness, their kneejerk reaction is, ‘Is there something wrong?” Dr. Thomas said. But, he added, “everybody has this dip.”
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