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A Complete Guide to fight sleepiness in office

sleepiness in office

Sleep is the next best gift given to humans by God after food. Sleep helps in getting rid of all the tension and stress. It takes one into a totally different world where one can dream about those things also which are impossible to achieve in reality. But sometimes this boon starts acting like a bane when people start sleeping during their working hours. It not only becomes a problem for themselves, but also for whom they are working. Sleep during the office hours not only hampers the growth of an individual but also of the company. It deteriorates the quality of work too. So, here are some cool exercises which can help you to conquer your sleep during odd hours:

 1. Walk and work well

Walk-and-work-wellThe best and the simplest exercise to avoid sleep during office hours is to walk for a while. Walking helps one to get rid of sleep and laziness and energizes the body. It is the best exercise which can be done to avoid sleepiness in office and also does not require a lot of time. Sitting for long hours in an air conditioned room makes one lethargic and dull. So, a short walk helps one in getting some fresh air along with mental relaxation from the stress which one feels after long hours of work. One can listen to some good music too while walking, as music is a very good healer and refreshes the brain. But it should be taken care that the choice of music should not be such that it makes one feel more sleepy. Some rocking and hip hop numbers generally make one feel energetic. 

2. Five minutes meditation provides a good activation

Five-minutes-meditation-provides-a-good-activationMeditation is believed by the scientists to be one of the best ways to rejuvenate the body. When sleep hits during the office hours, one should try to meditate just for five minutes. Meditation during office hours mean some kind of breathing exercise and relaxation from the strenuous work. This helps in relaxing the stress from work and the fresh air breathed in makes one feel refreshed. It also develops creative thinking and boosts the level of self confidence. New energy develops to do the work and sleepiness flies away. It rejuvenates and re energizes the body.

3. Standing can help in keeping sleep away

Standing-can-help-in-keeping-sleep-awaySitting for too long makes one feel sleepy and drowsy. So, after some time one should try and stand for a while to get rid of sleepiness. While standing, calories burn faster and in turn the body gets re-energized. One can stand while talking on the phone or while talking to some colleague in the office. One can also move back and forth while standing which helps in burning calories faster. Standing also helps in straightening the muscles which get twitched due to long hours of sitting in the same posture. It also helps in straightening the backbone which remains curved while sitting, thereby relaxing it.

4. Stretches

StretchesOne of the best and simplest exercises to avoid sleep during working hours is to do stretches. Stretching exercise not even requires one to get up from the chair. One can easily do it while sitting, just need to stretch both the arms above the head and straighten the spine. While sitting just bend and touch the toes and then roll back to the upright position. Also, windmill stretches can be performed while standing. For this one needs to stand upright and then with the help of ones left hand touch the right toe. Stand upright again and then with the help of right hand touch the left toe, keeping the legs straight. These simple stretches can be done to combat sleepy and drowsy feelings.

5. Squats

performing-squatsSimply by performing squats, one can shed off the drowsiness and sleepiness during work. The position while doing this is similar to the way we sit on a chair. While doing this, one has to squat down by lowering the bottom and bending the knees. And when one is just about to sit on the chair, instead of sitting just stand up back again. Squats can be performed any time. One can do them while waiting for any document getting printed at the machine or simply after getting back from lunch. Squats are simple and effective way to counter sleepiness or drowsiness.

6. Lifting weights

Lifting-weightsLifting weights also helps in getting the zeal back to work. A little strain in our muscles helps in burning calories faster, thereby taking away the condition of drowsiness. One can either keep some weights or can use some heavy thing like a water bottle to do the exercise. The weight or the water bottle filled with water should be lifted towards the body and the elbow should be bend to curl it. This exercise should be repeated 10-15 times. It helps in bringing the attention back to the work and also proves beneficial for the body muscles.

7. Eat and be attentive in office

Eat-and-be-attentive-in-officeThe first and the foremost thing which should be done to overcome sleep during office hours is to cut down on the number of cups of coffee and tea. Instead, one should drink lots and lots of lime water with some amount of honey also. This drink helps one to revitalize and re-energize because lime is a good source of vitamin C and honey acts as an energy booster. Butter milk is also another good option for conquering sleep. Butter milk acts as cooling agent and keeps the body cool and moist, which helps in keeping oneself awake for a longer time. Even peppermint tea provides a soothing effect to the body and helps in coming over the stress produced in ones brain. While the best of all is drinking as much water as one can. Water removes all the unwanted waste from the body and helps in maintaining a good blood circulation. Whereas, heavy food stuff should be avoided.

What causes fatigue and sleepiness in office?

Fatigue and sleepiness could be categorized into two major parts – one being physical and the other being psychological. Both the factors could be correlated to each other as such if a person is exhausted physically, it would cause distress to the mind as well. And if the tiredness exists mentally, it will gradually deteriorate the health of a person physically. The symptoms of chronic fatigue are much higher in female as compared to male.

There are enormous cause for tiredness and weakness in a human body, from eating habits to theliving lifestyle. You should include physical exercises, extracurricular activities in your daily life apart from the only monotonous work which you keep yourself buried in. The body should get adequate rests so as to perform any work efficiently without any exhaustion. The eating habit should also be checked so that it becomes compulsory to include lots of fresh fruits, green vegetables and water in your diet.

Some of the main causes of Fatigue and sleepiness are as follows:

1. Not enough sleep

sleep-deprivation-affects-your-healthAn adult should get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Lack of sleep will decrease the concentration power and adversely affect the health. Make your sleeping schedule a strict routine and ban your mobile phones and laptops from your bedroom for a sound sleep.

2. Not enough fuel

Fatigue is usually caused through poor nutrition. Eating the right food is very essential to keep your body going on. A balanced diet should be introduced with proper guidance which will prevent the body from being sluggish. Eat your breakfast like a king, have lunch like a common man and dine like a pauper. Add lots of carbs and protein to your diet.

3. Dehydration

Do not be afraid to drink waterRight amount of water is beneficial for the body. Drinking enough water drains out the toxic from the body. Being thirsty means you are already dehydrated. You should consume at least two to four liters of water in a day to keep your body hydrated so that you can keep fatigue at bay.

4. Caffeine overload

Caffeine consumption should be always taken in moderation. Excess of caffeine increases the blood pressure, rate of the heart and even causes restlessness. Caffeine products like tea, coffee, chocolates, soft drinks etc should be consumed in a limited amount so that they do not become an addiction to beat fatigue and sleepiness.

5. Obesity

ObesityObesity is an increasing problem among today’s youth and young adults. This is due to bad eating habits which include junk foods and aerated drinks. Lack of physical exercise also leads a body to gain weight and result in obesity. Regular exercise should be introduced to the daily routine of every individual. Healthy eating must be done. Cut out fried foods and introduce organic foods to the diet.

6. Work shifts

Shift duties could cause terror to the normal pattern of sleeping which in turn could lead to tiredness and fatigue. It would be a problem to stay awake during night time and have trouble sleeping during the day. As shift duties cannot be controlled, you can at least work towards creating the right environment to sleep whenever you get time. During daytime, make the room dark and quiet for a good and sound sleep.

7. Anemia

self test for AnemiaAnemia is the main cause of fatigue among women due to their menstrual blood loss which causes iron deficiency. Taking of iron supplements and food rich in iron like green leafy vegetables, shellfish, beans, meat, liver etc helps the body to fight Anaemia.

8. Hypothyroidism

Thyroid is a gland in the human body which controls metabolism. If the gland is not functioning properly, it leads to sudden weight gain and makes you feel sluggish. Thyroid hormones are checked through blood tests and can be treated only under proper medication and doctor’s help.

9. Diabetes

Diabetes-MythsIn diabetes patient, instead of entering the body’s cell, the high levels of sugar remain in the bloodstream. This causes tiredness, sleepiness and unexplained fatigue among the diabetics. To keep diabetes in control, various treatments like insulin therapy, medication is undergone. Apart from that, regular exercise and a balanced diet is necessary in order to keep check on diabetes.

10 Ways sleep deprivation at office affects your health

Not only sleep deprivation is a sign of bad health, it could also play a significant role in developing several issues. Many health disorders like obesity and heart conditions can also be avoided by daily regulated sleep. Scientists have repeatedly clarified that at least every one in three of us suffer from sleep deprivation because of stress, computers and working long hours even from home.

Scientists have also found that unregulated sleep, anything less than eight hours is bad for health. If you want to function optimally at the workplace and not be cranky, tired or yawning all day, sleep as soon as your body signals it.

1. Daytime Fatigue

Daytime-Fatigue
If you have ever spent the night unable to sleepbecause work has been on your mind, you knowthat the next day at work you feel very tired. You also continually desire a nap no matter how important the meeting you are attending may be. You feel sluggish the entire day and procrastinate important work till you get some decent shut-eye. And then that keeps you up that night. That is a vicious cycle.

2. Impulsive Behavior

An often understated side-effect of sleep deprivation is that it causes people to act out or lash out at inopportune moments. As decision making and concentration is heavily impaired because of the lack of sleep, impulsive behavior in only a natural progression.

3. Paranoia

paranoiaOne core reason why sleep deprivation is bad for health is that is severely affects the central nervous system. When a person sleeps, the central nervous system forms many neural connections between the brain and the rest of the body. When the body does not get enough sleep, the brain does not get its desired rest and neurons start firing randomly. That means paranoia seeps in.

4. Sleep deprivation causes depression

As the central nervous system is unable to function properly because the brain does not get enough rest, the human body becomes more prone to hallucinating and psychological risks. One of these psychological risks is depression because a person’s emotional state and mental facilities are affected. People become more impatient and are more prone to mood swings.

5. Suicidal thoughts

being-SuicidalAnother reason why the lack of sleep is bad for health is because it causes mania in people, which means people are more susceptible to manic depression. That means the brain begins to hallucinate when fatigue begins to set in. Which means that suicidal thoughts and the desire to end it all, is not too far behind even if it just because the brain is not properly rested.

6. Excessive and Micro Sleepiness

The lack of sleep causes the body’s internal system to malfunction. This may birth the desire to either sleep excessively or fall asleep for seconds at a time. Both are very harmful because excessive sleep makes the body unwilling to work normally and micro-sleep can strike at any time. Even when you are driving, it can cause loss of life to you or others.

7. Respiratory Problems

respiratory-problems
If your sleep cycle is disturbed, the body’s respiration system is also affected. Sleep Deprivation causes the body to be susceptible to ailments such as the common cold and flu. Not to mention itcan make existing medical conditions and breathing problems much worse. These problems can further hinder the sleeping pattern as it causes people to wake up in the middle of the night.

8. Digestive Problems

The lack of sleep causes people to overeat and demotivates them towards exercise which is a risk factor for becoming obese. The amount of sleep a body gets affects the two central hormones that affect the diet patterns of the human body. The lack of sleep also cause the insulin level in the body to rise, which monitors the blood sugar level in the body. That means problems like diabetes and high-blood pressure are not too far behind.

9. Cardiovascular Problems

Klotho-Protein-in-Cardiovascular-HealthSleep deprivation can cause health disorders, especially those affecting the body’s cardiovascular system because the heart, blood pressure and other limbic processes are deeply affected. The dysfunction of the cardiovascular system increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Even inflammation that plagues the internal organs of the body do not get sufficient time to subside making the body susceptible to more chronic diseases.

10. Obesity

Sleep deprivation may work for budding entrepreneurs in the short term and at before the age of 28, but it is not much help post that. Not to mention that sleeping properly makes you maintain your weight. Scientists have found that sleeping at least seven hours a night encourages the body to metabolize food properly. Any less, and your metabolism goes haywire.

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