Do you ever have those days where you get to the desk, pumped and woke (did I use that word in the correct context my millennial cohorts?) and then somewhere in between lunch and the end of the day it all goes ratchet? (Super digging this millennial-speak!)
Your brain can’t focus properly, your energy has ebbed away, you feel yourself getting tired and you can’t seem to arrange a coherent sentence. One minute you’re coasting along fine, nek minute you have a keyboard imprint on your forehead after an impromptu Nanna nap!
The 3pm slump is real! There are some key words here that independently, without context, give you the whole scientific picture, without the snore inspiring explanation – core temperature drop, melatonin release, circadian rhythms, body clock, sleep patterns, sleep homeostasis (body balancing).
The more your alertness decreases, the more your need for sleep increases, and this tends to occur about 12 hours after you’ve been in deep sleep (for most people, around 2-3am). Interesting……
So how to beat this naturally occurring biological brain fart! Here are some ideas –
- Take a break, walk out into the sunshine, watch a funny cat video. This one will make you laugh out loud.
- Try paced breathing – inhale for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4 and repeat for a few minutes. This boosts dehydroepiandrosterone (or, spaghetti in my world), a performance enhancing steroid which sparks vitality.
- If paced breathing isn’t your jam, how about “wake-up” breathing? Take a series of short, explosive breaths in and out of your nose, feeling your belly quickly contract and release. Start with 25 cycles.
- Do a 2 minute reset! Set an alarm for 2 minutes, close your eyes and try to put yourself in complete stillness. (BTW this is not a 2 minute scroll-through your phone kinda break)
- Take a whiff of mint – peppermint increases alertness, so arc up the essential oil diffuser!
And if all of the above is an epic fail….maybe it is time for that Nanna nap?
