2023-07-27 16:28:31
Feeling tired and lethargic after a meal can make it hard to focus on finishing the afternoon’s work, 5 tips to keep your mind sharp. (Shutterstock)
Everyone’s been there at one point or another: really needing a nap after lunch. The phenomenon of “afternoon burnout” or “afternoon sleepiness” is so common that the medical community has given it an official name – postprandial narcolepsy.
Feeling tired and lethargic after a meal can make it difficult to focus on finishing the afternoon’s work and often severely hamper post-lunch productivity. There are many reasons for “afternoon burnout,” but a few simple techniques can help combat this feeling of fatigue and keep your energy steady throughout the day.
Why Do People Feel Drowsy After Lunch?
◎ Circadian rhythm factors
Circadian rhythms are largely responsible for our periods of wakefulness and drowsiness. This internal body clock helps regulate sleep and wake patterns, which involve many different hormones and biological processes. It is normal for your energy and alertness to decrease.
according tosleep foundationAccording to the Sleep Foundation, our bodies experience the strongest sleep signals shortly after midnight and then again, but to a lesser extent, between about 1 and 4 in the afternoon. This is consistent with the habit of napping in the afternoon in many countries of the world.
◎ Effect of fat and carbohydrates
Of course, in addition to biological signals beyond our control, what we eat for lunch also plays a role in determining our energy levels and alertness. Published in October 2019 on“Nutrients”An Australian study in the journal Nutrients found that as the saturated fat and carbohydrate content of meals increased, so did daytime sleepiness. This effect may be exacerbated if a meal is high in both saturated fat and carbohydrates, such as a burger and fries.
Functional nutritionist Adair M. Anderson explains this physiological process. “Meals high in carbohydrates, without enough protein and fiber to delay digestion, can lead to spikes in blood sugar that the body repairs by releasing insulin, the key to getting blood sugar into cells,” he says. However, most At times, the body releases too much insulin, which causes blood sugar to plummet. Hypoglycemia is associated with fatigue.”
“Meals high in saturated fat are more likely to lead to a leaky gut (gut hyperpermeability), when gut lumen contents such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide and undigested food may enter the bloodstream, Often it leads to inflammation. Inflammation is also associated with fatigue.”
As the saturated fat and carbohydrate content of a meal increases, so does the level of daytime sleepiness. (Shutterstock)
◎ The amount of food
It’s not just the type of food, but the portion size that affects how you feel about an hour after eating. Eating large, “heavy” meals seems to make it easier to take a nap shortly after a meal than eating a small meal.
Published on February 28, 2012 inPhysiology and Behavior(Physiology & Behavior), a study in the journal Physiology & Behavior took 12 young people who had had sleep restriction the previous night and gave them a 305-calorie “light” lunch or a 922-calorie “heavy” lunch, with fat content Three times as much and twice as many carbohydrates as a “light” lunch.
The men then took a two-hour simulated “drive” at their leisure. Those who ate a “heavy” lunch turned out to be worse drivers, veered more from their lane while driving, and reported feeling more tired than those who ate a “light” lunch.
◎ Nutrients and other factors
Plus, certain nutrients can actually promote sleep, too. Tryptophan, an amino acid often blamed for causing many people to feel sluggish after a Thanksgiving meal, has indeed been linked to promoting sleep. A turkey dinner at 6 p.m. might be better than eating it at noon. Tryptophan isn’t the only food that promotes sleep, though.Sour cherries, mushrooms, tomatoes, and pistachios are high inmelatoninEating foods also help regulate circadian rhythms and promote sleep.
Other non-dietary factors can also affect how people feel at 2pm. Not getting enough continuous sleep at night can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, a problem that can be exacerbated by certain diseases such as diabetes, anemia or even food intolerances.
Tips for keeping your brain sharp in the afternoon
While there are various reasons for the dreaded mid-afternoon slump, a few simple things can help stabilize energy levels throughout the afternoon and throughout the day.
● Replace refined foods with complex carbohydrates
Replacing refined and simple carbs like white bread, donuts and soda with whole grain bread or complex carbs like brown rice, beans and vegetables is an important step in the right direction. Complex carbohydrates typically contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates, and are less likely to cause blood sugar spikes that eventually plummet and make you feel tired again.
● Eat small, frequent meals
Eating small meals at lunch followed by an afternoon snack, rather than eating a large meal, may help reduce the burden on the digestive system, resulting in more efficient energy use.
● Adjust meal order
Anderson notes that research shows that the order of meals can also make a difference.
“Start with a vegetable appetizer,” says Anderson. For example, a handful of peas, cherry tomatoes, celery, and carrot sticks. The fiber in these low-calorie vegetables acts like a gatekeeper’s net to keep digestive enzymes from quickly breaking down carbohydrates into simple sugars. Carbohydrates The slower the compound is digested, the slower it enters the bloodstream, and the milder the blood sugar spike (in fact, ideally, the blood sugar level is a low, rolling hill, not a spike). Then, eat the protein first , followed by carbohydrates (e.g., chicken and broccoli first, then dinner rolls).”
Start your lunch with a vegetable appetizer to help overcome a lack of energy. (Shutterstock)
● get enough water
Staying hydrated throughout the day can also help combat fatigue. Water is necessary for the effective delivery of nutrients to cells throughout the body, and dehydration can make you feel tired.
Nutrition ReviewAn August 2010 review in the journal Nutrition Reviews titled “Water, Hydration, and Health” explained that even mild dehydration can actually cause cells to shrink and may lead to cognitive decline, including short-term Memory loss and decreased concentration and alertness.
Drinking plenty of fluids (preferably water) throughout the day can help your body and mind perform at their best.
● Take a walk in the afternoon
Going for a walk after lunch is also a great way to keep your energy levels steady throughout the afternoon. Exercise increases the supply of nutrients and oxygen to your body (including your brain), which helps keep you alert. Combine that with being mindful of what and how much you eat for lunch, and staying hydrated, so you can stay focused and wide awake even at 4pm.
For the English report, please see the English “Epoch Times”:Tired After Lunch?。
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Editor in charge: Li Fan
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