How to Survive a Workday When You’re Completely Tired
If Monday hits you hard after the time change , you are not alone. It’s hard to lose an extra hour of sleep, especially if you’ve already worked off work due to pandemic stress or not going to bed on time. So, here are some strategies to get you through the day.
Before we get started, let’s be clear on one thing: this won’t be an easy walk. When you are really tired, it’s hard to work, no matter what you do. However, there are ways to help make your day easier and actually achieve the results you want. You won’t feel hilarious and hilarious, but you can avoid turning into a zombie. We’ve covered quick ways to eliminate fatigue , but in this post we’ll take a look at what you can do to help yourself throughout your day. Basically, your goal is to give yourself extra energy and avoid behaviors that will exacerbate your exhaustion. With a little effort, you can avoid losing consciousness.
Be mindful of what (and how much) you eat and drink
When you’re tired, eating is difficult. You need to eat enough to provide your body with the energy it needs throughout the day, but you also need to make sure you are not overeating (or malnourished!) Or you may feel worse. Serve what you usually eat in normal sized portions instead of asking your poor tired brain to come up with new ideas or guess how hungry you are.
If you have more than one breakfast option, avoid sugary foods, which sometimes cause a drop in energy after a meal, and choose something hearty with protein and fiber. (Consider a vegetable omelet or high protein yogurt with fruits and nuts.)
Also drink plenty of water. If you end up dehydrated throughout the day, you also make your situation worse.
Increase blood flow with simple and quick exercises
Not all exercise will wake you up – and long training sessions can tire you out – but doing small exercises throughout the day can help you stay alert when you’re tired. For example, do three sets of push-ups with 30-second breaks in between. Do as much as you can on each set. It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes, you shouldn’t sweat too much, it will wake you up. If push-ups aren’t your thing, try this 10-minute workout that you can do with air squats or lunges.
Standing work
We all know that sitting all day is bad for us , but getting up isn’t an exciting prospect for most people either. You are probably used to working in a chair because it is more comfortable that way. However, when you’re tired, you don’t necessarily want to feel uncomfortable – you just don’t want to fall asleep. This is another good reason to do standing work. You may not have a desk to do this, but see if there is a way to reposition your workspace so you can hold your monitor and keyboard upright. Stacks of books are your friend, or if you’re at home, find a shelf or countertop that is the right height.
Use caffeine wisely (if at all)
Caffeine is what most people use to stay awake when tired, but excessive use can lead to problems like headaches. If you drink coffee frequently or consume caffeine on a regular basis, there isn’t much news for you in this section. You are probably already brewing your third morning mug, which will help a little.
If you are not a regular consumer, start your day with a reasonable amount of this product (about 65-100 mg, about one small cup of coffee), this will help you to get rid of feeling more and more tired during the day. This is because your active brain continually produces adenosine as a byproduct of its activity. When your adenosine levels are high enough, your brain knows it’s time to get some rest. Caffeine, in fact, can represent adenosine and bind to its receptors, delaying your brain’s work so you know it’s time to sleep. This works great if you’re not a regular caffeine user, but not as much for you if your body expects it.
It is important to remember to avoid consuming caffeine later in the day, as you will eventually want to sleep. Stop taking caffeine after 2:00 p.m. or so, otherwise you will sleep late tonight again and you will reread this article tomorrow.
Schedule light sleep on time
Just because you’re at work doesn’t mean you don’t have time to sleep. Hopefully your boss understands enough to let you run away for 20 minutes for a quick nap, but even if not, you can still fit in. If you take a nap at the wrong time of the day, your circadian rhythms may be disrupted, but if you keep it, Taking a nap for up to 20 minutes and taking it between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm can actually improve your cognitive abilities without disrupting your sleep schedule. You are presumably on a lunch break, so take a 20 minute nap in your car (or more convenient location if you have one) and take your lunch back to your table. You can eat it there feeling a little less worn out.
This post was originally published in June 2012 and was updated on March 15, 2021 by Beth Squarecki with additional information, updated links, and aligned with Lifehacker’s style guidelines.