There are many different aspects of sleep, as well as your overall lifestyle, that you can look at if you are feeling sleepy during the day. Unfortunately, there is no quick answer to your question...but we can help you find solutions or identify possible causes.
Here are a few starting places for you to begin determining if these are possible causes, or if you can rule out any of these items below:
1. You may be getting enough hours of sleep, but how is the quality of your sleep? Many reasons abound regarding poor quality sleep; here are just a few to consider: partner snores, you snore, environment is not conducive to proper sleep (too noisy, too bright, too cold/hot, etc).
2. Lifestyle factors. Everything you do during the day can contribute to better sleep. A few major contributors to poor sleep: drinking too much caffeine, drinking too much caffeine in the afternoon, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, not enough exercise or physical activity, certain foods, excessive stress, unresolved problems or conflicts, etc.
3. Medical reasons. Poor sleep can also be attributable to a medical condition that you may have, or direct sleep-related issues such as insomnia or sleep apnea.
Lastly, if your sleepiness during the day is better described as an "afternoon slump", this is common for most people...and there are specific ways to overcome this period of sleepiness. For most people, it hits around 2pm or 3pm, and can last an hour or two. If this describes what you are feeling, here are some suggestions:
- go for a walk. If you are sitting at a computer, sitting in meetings or in a classroom...go for a brisk 10-15 minute walk to perk up.
- change your routine. Instead of checking email or working on a detail-oriented task in the afternoon, try to change these activities to your morning and choose activities in the afternoon that are more stimulating (if possible).
- plan ahead. if you know you get sleepy around a specific time each day, is there an alternative activity you can do? can you do something you find enjoyable for 15 minutes? if you are feeling fatigued, try drinking more water throughout the day (fatigue sometimes is actually felt when you are somewhat dehydrated), and then during your afternoon slump, drink some orange juice, eat some refreshing fruit or use the carbohydrate/protein snack energizer: small snack such as apple with peanut/almond butter, cheese and cracker.
We would be interested in hearing back from you, regarding your thoughts on what options from the suggestions above are related to your situation, or if you have more information to help narrow down possible causes.
Comment Reply
There are many different aspects of sleep, as well as your overall lifestyle, that you can look at if you are feeling sleepy during the day. Unfortunately, there is no quick answer to your question...but we can help you find solutions or identify possible causes.
Here are a few starting places for you to begin determining if these are possible causes, or if you can rule out any of these items below:
1. You may be getting enough hours of sleep, but how is the quality of your sleep? Many reasons abound regarding poor quality sleep; here are just a few to consider: partner snores, you snore, environment is not conducive to proper sleep (too noisy, too bright, too cold/hot, etc).
2. Lifestyle factors. Everything you do during the day can contribute to better sleep. A few major contributors to poor sleep: drinking too much caffeine, drinking too much caffeine in the afternoon, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, not enough exercise or physical activity, certain foods, excessive stress, unresolved problems or conflicts, etc.
3. Medical reasons. Poor sleep can also be attributable to a medical condition that you may have, or direct sleep-related issues such as insomnia or sleep apnea.
Lastly, if your sleepiness during the day is better described as an "afternoon slump", this is common for most people...and there are specific ways to overcome this period of sleepiness. For most people, it hits around 2pm or 3pm, and can last an hour or two. If this describes what you are feeling, here are some suggestions:
- go for a walk. If you are sitting at a computer, sitting in meetings or in a classroom...go for a brisk 10-15 minute walk to perk up.
- change your routine. Instead of checking email or working on a detail-oriented task in the afternoon, try to change these activities to your morning and choose activities in the afternoon that are more stimulating (if possible).
- plan ahead. if you know you get sleepy around a specific time each day, is there an alternative activity you can do? can you do something you find enjoyable for 15 minutes? if you are feeling fatigued, try drinking more water throughout the day (fatigue sometimes is actually felt when you are somewhat dehydrated), and then during your afternoon slump, drink some orange juice, eat some refreshing fruit or use the carbohydrate/protein snack energizer: small snack such as apple with peanut/almond butter, cheese and cracker.
We would be interested in hearing back from you, regarding your thoughts on what options from the suggestions above are related to your situation, or if you have more information to help narrow down possible causes.
May 10, 2011 - 12:59pmThis Comment
Reply