Here's Why You Crash Every Afternoon - And How To Avoid It
Oct 31, 2014, 19:30 IST
BI Answers: Why do I crash every afternoon, and how can I avoid it?
You were having a productive morning at the office - you made all the calls on your list, gave your boss important input at an early meeting, finished up a big project - when suddenly, all you want to do is curl up under your desk and sleep. The afternoon slump is your body's response to two things: its natural circadian rhythm - that internal clock that tells us when it's time to wake up and when it's time to go to bed - and the peaks and dips in blood sugar levels that are largely tied to what you eat. While the science says this reaction is perfectly normal, your boss might feel otherwise. Fortunately, there are some ways you can trick your body into staying alert and breezing through the mid-afternoon crash.Snack Smart
Your stomach isn't the only organ that responds to a big meal - your brain does too. Foods that are mostly made up of sugar and other carbohydrates will fill you up at first but leave you feeling shaky and tired later. After we ingest too many empty carbs - foods high in sugar but low in protein - our blood sugar levels spike; when they plummet a few hours later, we experience a "crash" in energy levels. Eating too much fatty food can slow us down too. Unlike carbs, which make our blood sugar levels erratic, fats digest very slowly. As a result, eating too much of them in one sitting can make us feel tired because our bodies must work harder to break them down. There may be an even sharper connection between what we eat and how alert we feel. Recent studies suggest the sugar and other carbs in food directly affect a specific group of brain cells that play a key role in keeping us awake. Those cells, called orexin neurons, are located deep inside the brain in the hypothalamus. When they sense a large amount of sugar in the blood, they turn off, making us feel sleepy.So if you're eating pasta or French fries around 12 p.m. and feeling sleepy around 3 p.m., your meal could be to blame. Rather than noshing on carb or fat-heavy foods, eat a balanced lunch that is lower in fat and has almost an equal amount of protein and carbohydrates, like a turkey sandwich or a salad with protein-rich nuts or beans. The protein protects your blood sugar from sharp peaks and falls and keeps your energy levels steady. If a lean meal and some snacks aren't your style, try three smaller meals instead. Smaller, well-spaced meals can help you avoid the slump by evening out the amount of carbs, fat, and sugar you ingest in one sitting, keeping blood sugar levels stable.