Mid-afternoon slump... - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

illinichick · 07-05-2006, 11:38 PM

I need a suggestion or two...

It has been a habit of mine lately to come home from work and take a (gulp!) two hour nap... I've tried different snacks at different times in the afternoon to try to find some energy so that I can work out right when I get home, but I can't seem to find any energy. Today I had a big glass of iced tea and some popcorn an hour before I left work thinking that the caffeine and fiber would help, but no... I get home at about 4:30, so it's way too early to eat dinner.

The bigger problem is that I stay up too late after taking the nap and then I don't want to get up in the morning either. Vicious cycle... repeating...

Any suggestions?

DaisyJ · 07-06-2006, 12:59 AM

I don't have any advice but just want to say that I have the same problem .. it's actually happening right now, I should be passed out but since I took a nap at around 5pmish, I'm awake now when I really need to sleep. I'd definitely like to see what advice anyone has for this vicious cycle.

Pachyderm · 07-06-2006, 04:52 AM

I have this problem too. It is supposed to be part of our natural rhythm to get tired in the afternoons, and it is extremely common. There may be nothing that you can really do about it, but I would suggest that the iced tea and popcorn may not be the best choice of wake-up snack though. Presumably the iced tea has sugar in it which will give you a quick boost and then make you tired again, and there is some evidence that caffeine can do the same thing - make you wide awake and then as it leaves your system, make you feel more tired. I don't know how true that is. You could try having some more complex carbs such as cereal bars/granola bars and see if that makes a difference. You could also try to avoid the late afternoon nap if you can and then get to bed earlier than you would normally. You may find that part of the tiredness is because you haven't had a long enough sleep during the night!

Boredom can make it more difficult to stay awake, and if you could persuade yourself to do your workout, you would probably find that once you start to exercise, your energy levels will improve during the workout and you will feel better afterwards.

Anyway, I haven't really solved this problem myself, so these are just a few suggestions. My tiredness does change on a daily or weekly basis depending on what I do, so I'm still figuring this out as well.

Misti in Seattle · 07-06-2006, 05:06 AM

LOL I do it too... which is why I am up at 2 AM and have to get up at 4:45 for work. <GGG> Except I do my workouts before I go to sleep. But actually I enjoy the night owl stuff so guess there is no hope for me ever getting over it <G>

illinichick · 07-06-2006, 01:01 PM

NO sugar in this girl's tea!! A bad habit that I have happily broken!! I have tried to avoid the nap, but I don't even have enough energy to cook dinner without it (isn't that sad?), let alone workout... I am getting sleepy just thinking about it!

Stephanie Osborne · 07-06-2006, 05:32 PM

ABAKERCHICK - I love the saying under your name lol I can see those meerkats now...I wish I could give you a suggestion but I tend to do the same thing (you are not alone on this one.)

amb_lyn · 07-06-2006, 05:36 PM

Oh how i'd LOVE to take a nap every afternoon!! Especially today, I am beat!!!

Have some kids, that'll keep you awake.. LOL Wish I had some advice but I don't.. I too get that way sometimes and just wish I could take a quick catnap to do the things I need to do.. I just keep plugging along..

WastedThermos · 07-06-2006, 06:56 PM

This is my cycle too! Some days the promise of a nap is the only thing that keeps me going. I'd say.. maybe on one of your off days from working out stay awake.. Just make yourself do it. Then, you'll be able to go to bed at a reasonable time (try to limit your caffeine a few hours before bed), wake up easier and maybe get out of the napping habit. Also, maybe instead of popcorn try something more complex.. like with fat and protein. Sometimes when I just eat carbs I don't stay full or energetic for very long.

When school starts back I won't be able to nap this way, but it's so nice.. especially in the afternoons when it is too hot to do anything here.

illinichick · 07-06-2006, 11:46 PM

Wow... so I tried to avoid the nap by doing a little shopping before going home after work... thought it was all going well until I sat down on my couch, and quite literally passed out for about 25 minutes. Woke up and *WOW* it was 8pm... yikes!!! So, another strategy is in order...

On another note, I'm so glad that I'm not the only one that does this... but sad that so many of us have to worry about it

Thanks for understanding

PinkSnowDays · 07-07-2006, 10:59 PM

I used to have the same problem and sometimes still do. This past semester all I could think about after a day of classes was going back and passing out... literally exhausted. I found that adding exercise into my day and sunshine made me less tired when it was time to go home. I'm not sure what you do for work but I used to take the long way between classes or if I had an hour off between get up and move instead of sitting around somewhere. Maybe on you break or lunch you could get outside and strech a bit and maybe take a short walk. Wasn't an immediate cure but it helped me.

kms7z · 07-13-2006, 02:13 PM

i have the same problem of getting very tired and/or bored by mid-afternoon. i think napping is a much healthier way of dealing with it compared to what i usually do-- eat.

i don't see a need to for you to NOT nap, unless it interferes with work/family obligations.

about going to exercise at that tired time-- i find if i lay down for just 5 minutes, i mentally prepare myself to work out and i do just fine.

denice81 · 07-13-2006, 06:47 PM

i have this problem on days that either i eat a heavy lunch or am dehydrated. I find that eating more frequently but smaller meals and drinking enough water keeps me more energized. I do know how you feel though. I took a 3 hr. nap everyday after school in both 11th and 12th grade. I think my mom thought there was something seriously wrong with me.

illinichick · 07-13-2006, 10:45 PM

I'm convinced that I need to invent something like Exercise Viagra--- to get/keep my ENERGY up... hehe! It'll need to be something without ephedra, it will be my life's work... mwah-ha-ha!

NemesisClaws · 07-30-2006, 12:23 AM

I was the Queen of naps in college! I kid you not....my roommate seriously though I was sleeping my life away...

I too have problems with this in the afternoons, and if I do go to sleep, I can't just sleep for 30 mins...nooooo..it's gotta be at least 5 hours here before my body will stop feeling sluggish. So my strategy has been this: set my alarm to wake me up after 1 hour has passed. I do this everyday to get my body to adapt to it. So far it seems to be working. I honestly think that it's our body's internal way of refreshing itself after a hard morning. In some cultures, they take naps after having lunch and keep going for most of the evening.

drake3272004 · 07-30-2006, 02:37 PM

How well do you sleep when you do sleep at night? I've found out recently that I have a slight problem with sleep apnea and also acid reflux! Both more then likely caused by the extra weight--MORE INCENTIVE TO LOSE!
I take naps all the time! I can usually get by on just an hour, but if my allergies are acting up then I could sleep more. Sometimes I get into a cycle where I nap and then can't sleep when I am suppose to, so I will do everything to avoid the nap----stretching really helps! Then I get busy just doing things around the house----things that I have put off because I didn't have time the other day to do it and I turn on the music........I get so busy cleaning and listening to music that I "forget" that I was tired.