Career Advice - Quick Pick Me Up Tips

Staying Alert Despit Sleep Deprivation

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

Every day around 3 p.m., I become incredibly tired. The problem is, I'm at work -- for at least another three hours. The lethargy is killing me -- I can barely keep my eyes open and I'm terrified that one day my boss is going to come by and find me, head on my desk, drooling on my keyboard. 

Getting more sleep isn't really an option -- I have a young child and there's just too much to do after work. Plus, I've tried adding sleep and to be honest, still tend to crash in the late afternoon. Is there anything I can do?

Signed,

Sleepy Exec     

A:

Dear Sleepy Exec,

There are some things you can do to wake yourself up -- or at least get over your late-afternoon hump.

12 Tips to Try:
  1. Coffee, energy drinks and caffeinated drinks or foods (chocolate), will give you a temporary boost.
  2. Food will give you a lift — but carbs (anything that’s white like bread or pasta) will make you tired, after the initial energy boost. Try protein or fruit.
  3. Smoothies with ginseng or other herbal lifts.
  4. Napping is a terrific way to alleviate fatigue and give you a second wind.
  5. Fresh air. Open the window!
  6. Change your clothes. Put on something bright, peppy and comfortable to improve your mood and your energy level.
  7. Conserve what energy you have. Limit phone calls that may suck your energy and keep you from doing what you really needed to do during the day. Don’t answer the doorbell if you have other things to do.
  8. Try some music in the background, if it makes drudgery a little less depressing.
  9. Reward yourself at the end of the task. Promise yourself a shoe-shopping spree if you can get through your project that is making you want a nap.
  10. Do something stimulating as a break. Read a great chapter in a book. (Try Romantic Date Ideas or Ideas for a Fun Date if you're looking for a good read!) Watch (one) television program that enervates you.
  11. Shower — even if you already have. Use aromatherapy to wake you up — in the form of great smelling shampoo, soaps or cologne.
  12. Exercise. Do a handstand, or tumble around on the floor to shake up your energy, and get your blood flowing in a different way.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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