Avoid That Afternoon Energy Zapper By Avoiding These Foods
Every Sunday afternoon I always have intentions to go to sleep before 11:00 PM. We usually start heading towards the bedroom around 10:30 PM to finish folding laundry and putting it away, unloading the dishwasher, etc. After streaming an episode of Dateline and some time in the middle of Gilmore Girls I finally fall asleep. It’s usually around 12:30 AM. I never really sleep well during Sunday nights, but most nights I get a solid Seven hours. With that said, why am I still so tired every day during the week around 3:00 PM?
Each morning while I’m getting ready I brew the cup of coffee I bring to work with me. Half of it’s gone by the time I get to the office and finished before 9:30 AM. That’s when I pour a second cup of coffee which kickstarts the part of my brain that needs to access and complete work tasks. Once I get into a rhythm my coffee becomes a coping beverage. Before I know it I’m pouring cup number four. This usually has me feeling great as I’m headed off to lunch and when I get back I usually switch to water. But, by 3:00 PM I’m ready for a HARD nap.
Until recently this confused me because I thought drinking coffee would help me ride out an entire work day. I just found out how wrong I was. Here are four foods that reduce your energy according to HuffPost:
Coffee and energy drinks – Turns out you can have too much of a good thing. Too much caffeine will result in a crash later in the day, but if you drink it too late in the day you may not sleep well.
Candy – Same reason as above, only sugar may cause you to crash harder.
Smoothies – This is also because of the sugar, only it can be worse than candy because it’s liquified. Fruit would be better for you.
Low-cal frozen food meals – Some of these have such few calories that they don’t provide enough fuel to get you to the end of the day. Also, the salt amount may leave you feeling fatigued.
Of course there are also foods that will give you energy and help avoid that sluggish 3:00 PM feeling. Find those here!
