Do you find that you can’t seem to stay awake at work sometimes?
Do you sleep on duty occasionally?
I sometimes find myself nodding off at my desk, especially after lunch or in the morning after a night of waking up endlessly to sort out my daughter, Bionic.
Dozing off at work and even getting caught can be embarrassing and unprofessional in the workplace.
To avoid this happening, we shall explore practical ways to help us stay awake at work.
Find The Root Cause
First of all you need to determine the cause of your sleepiness at work. Not sleeping well at night may mean your body is trying to catch up with sleep during the day.
If you can deal with the root cause, then half of your sleeping dilemma at work is solved.
A few reasons we find ourselves not able to stay awake at work could be
- Poor sleeping pattern – baby or child wake you up at night
- Staying up late
- Unhealthy diet or eating late
- Illness or poor health
- Stress
Once I was very lethargic and sleepy at work, only to find out at the hospital that I had low blood pressure. I was asked by my GP to increase my salt intake and that solved the problem at the time.
Like in my case, investigate the real problem behind you not getting enough sleep and deal with it.
However I know this isn’t always possible for every mum. Sometimes even getting 6 or 7 hours of sleep does not stop you from nodding off at work.
Let us explore some tips to help you stay awake at work. At least one of them should work for you.
How to Stay Awake At Work – 9 Solid Tips
- Chew gum– chewing gum gets your mouth moving up and down. This could help you stay awake at work.
- Snack on fruits– apples or grapes are an excellent way to release energy into your system in a healthy way and help you stay alert.
- Take a walk/exercise– use this opportunity to get some water to drink, or stop by at a colleague’s desk to say hi or find out how their day is going. Don’t “chat” too long though.
- Splash cold water on your face and your neck. Cold water should jolt you from your slumber.
- Drink coffee or caffeinated tea– I personally don’t drink coffee as it gets me agitated but some people swear by this. I do recommend you limiting the amount of coffee or caffeinated tea you drink to avoid counterproductive effects.
- Instead of coffee, some people drink green tea as it is more beneficial than coffee.
- Take a walk right after lunch– this way your food doesn’t “sit” heavy in your stomach, you get to exercise and also get some fresh air and some sunlight if any.Avoid eating a large lunch– this can weigh you down and lead to lethargy and sleepiness.
- I haven’t tried this before but I read somewhere that inhaling essential oils such as rosemary or peppermint for just a few seconds’ can help you stay awake. I would definitely try this out soon.
- My last and tried method is taking a 10 -15 minutes power nap in your car or the ladies (definitely not at your desk). That should set you straight. Just make sure you don’t have any meetings or deadlines during that period. Don’t disappear for long! 🙂
If none of the above works, it might simply mean you find your work boring or monotonous. Hmm, now that is a separate problem entirely.
Conclusion
So like I mentioned before, it is usually better to deal with the reason behind any poor sleeping habits than trying to fight off sleep at work. However, the above tips should work for those who need it.
I am sure this is not an extensive list, so I would love to hear from you on any tips you use to stay awake at work. Please share in the comment section below. Thanks!
