Know any cures for afternoon blahs?

[daylatedollarshort]

While napping sounds like a (delightful) cop-out, I wonder if that's how we were meant to live before the Industrial Revolution messed up our internal clocks with the 9-5 routine.

I wonder sometimes if my dog knows something we do not. He sleeps on and off all day long and seems pretty healthy.

 

[woodguy00]

Most men with a 17 inch neck and over 200 lbs. snore. And most snorers need to go through a sleep study to see if they have sleep apnea.

I know a gentleman that'd go to sleep sitting at a red light. After a couple of wrecks, he was grounded from driving. He had severe sleep apnea--essentially choking in his sleep

I was found to have moderate sleep apnea, and it is a mofst common condition. I sleep on a CPAP machine at night, and my afternoon "downs" are seldom experienced. I can also sleep less and feel so much better upon waking up.

The greatest thing about going on CPAP is that users will live longer--not choking while sleeping. And the risk of having to undergo open heart surgery decreases dramatically. And users feel so much better.

+1 Agree with everything above. Have you had a sleep study?

 

[LARS]

Attributed to the President of The University of Chicago (Harper) is a wonderful quote that can be interpreted loosely to this situation: whenever I have the urge to exercise, I lie down till it goes away.

So as others have counseled: take a nap. ;-)

 

[Derslickmeister]

Let's see. You are retired, you get sleepy in the afternoon, hmm. Why don't you just take a nap, isn't that what retirement is all about, the freedom to nap at will?

 

[Ronstar]

I agree - take a nap. I just woke up from one and now I'm ready to take on the afternoon.

 

[Amethyst]

I vote Nap if I'm at home.

Anywhere else, and I'd vote Go for a Short, Brisk Walk. When I got the afternoon blahs at work, a brisk stroll around the hallways, to the washroom or water fountain generally did the trick...and sometimes solutions to problems would pop into my head, an added bonus.

Anything but the peanut M&M's...eat those because they taste good, not to wake yourself up.

Amethyst

 

[lampshade]

Don't forget to keep yourself well hydrated with water and only water. Soda, juice, powder drinks don't count.

 

[bmcgonig]

I usually work out in late afternoon. It doesn't make sense that exercise can energize you but it wakes me up. That was true when I was employed, too.

+1 very low carbs for lunch. A big lunch always knocks me out around 2 if I go that way. Then workout at around 3. I feel energized after that.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[harley]

Don't forget to keep yourself well hydrated with water and only water. Soda, juice, powder drinks don't count.

Why? 12 oz of any of those things contain 99.5% water, so what's the difference?

From WebMD:

Besides guzzling water, milk is a top choice to refuel. Sodas, even diet ones, get a bad rap for lacking nutritional value, but they can still be hydrating. Juices and sports drinks are also hydrating -- you can lower the sugar content by diluting them with water.

Coffee and tea also count in your tally. Many used to believe that they were dehydrating, but that myth has been debunked. The diuretic effect does not offset hydration.

 

[Which Roger]

I usually work out in late afternoon. It doesn't make sense that exercise can energize you but it wakes me up. That was true when I was employed, too.

Agreed. When I feel tired in the middle of the day, exercise usually does the trick. About 10% of the time I discover that I really needed a nap instead, but that's the exception.

 

[Amethyst]

I wondered the same thing, even though I don't drink soda or powdered drinks. Sure, some of them have SUGAR (dah dah dah DUMMMM) but not all of them...there are some wonderful flavored waters out there.

Why? 12 oz of any of those things contain 99.5% water, so what's the difference?

From WebMD:

 

[harley]

I wondered the same thing, even though I don't drink soda or powdered drinks. Sure, some of them have SUGAR (dah dah dah DUMMMM) but not all of them...there are some wonderful flavored waters out there.

I tend to drink diet colas. No sugar, but a decent little jolt of caffeine. I think the water only is a religious thing, like no fat or no carbs or no mortgage. I do agree that staying hydrated is a good thing, though.

 

[MichaelB]

Nothing like an afternoon amphetamine to pick things up. You might even lose some weight and cut your food bill. On the other hand, you also might be back in another thread asking about getting to sleep at night.

j/k

When I asked my PCP, she said regular aerobic exercise was one way to deal with it. I do that, it seems to work, but also have an afternoon shot of espresso.

 

[lampshade]

harley, according to the nutritionist at work water works best.

Maybe she needs to read what you read

 

[Rick_Head]

Sex.

If that doesn't work, try beer and/or bacon.

 

[zinger1457]

Maybe try some form of meditation, only takes 15-20 minutes, the benefits have been well researched.

 

[Lisa99]

Maybe try some form of meditation, only takes 15-20 minutes, the benefits have been well researched.

I've tried that. Puts me to sleep every time!

 

[zinger1457]

I've tried that. Puts me to sleep every time!

It's actually very comfortable and you won't be falling asleep if you use a meditation stool like this lady.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Sleep research has identified generally times of the day when adults are most likely to want to sleep: 3-7AM and 1-3PM secondarily. In other words, feeling sleepy in the afternoon is normal. Perhaps it is industrial society that has dictated what are supposed to be our "normal" sleep pattern. I noticed when I was working that at 2:30 PM every day, I had a period of overwhelming sleepiness. It went away spontaneously. The intensity of this feeling was overwhelming the past 5 years. One of my physician colleagues who works 24 shifts always tried for a brief afternoon nap, as that improved her focus at other times.

.When I was in college, as my day permitted, I would take a nap as soon as I got home at 5PM and woke up at 6PM, ate dinner, and went back to studying until 11PM-midnight. It was a pattern that worked spectacularly well in terms of grades.

Sleep can be amazingly restorative. It has been years since I even caught a cold, but if I get sick even with a cold, I do much better if I can send myself to bed for extra recovery time.

Here is a link to an interesting and informative research group on sleep:

Body Clock & Sleep - National Sleep Foundation

It's ok to be sleepy in the afternoon. It doesn't mean you are ill.

 

[rayinpenn]

Sorry to say but I believe it's diet if you cut out the starches I'll bet you drop twenty pounds and feel a whole lot better... I find I never recover (wake up) from an afternoon nap.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum.

 

[Mulligan]

Sorry to say but I believe it's diet if you cut out the starches I'll bet you drop twenty pounds and feel a whole lot better... I find I never recover (wake up) from an afternoon nap.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum.

I agree. Gradually over the past few years I have become a bit too lazy to do my workouts in the morning. Since it is now done in the afternoon I have to eat a very light lunch such as a salad of just eggs with no bread. A starchy or heavy meat intake ruins my desire to do anything the rest of the afternoon. I kinda miss the youthful days of a Big Mac meal followed 30 minutes later by a weight lifting session and 3-5 mile run.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk