How to Avoid Being Sleepy Essay Example for Free

How to Avoid Being Sleepy Essay Check with the doctor if you have to take medicine for your medical condition and it should not interfere with your sleep. †¢ Maintain a healthy diet. Remember to stay away from too many sweets. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. †¢ You can take a vitamin supplement rich in iron and B12 – check with your doctor first. †¢ Try to relax. Stress and anxiety causes you to lack of sleep at nights and this will only make you feel sleepy the following day. †¢ Feel positive. Work on your feeling of enthusiasm, so you can release positive energy in you and lessen your sleepiness. Just focus on your work and think of the good result of doing a good job out of it. If you still feel sleepy most of the time that it hampers your productivity as a person, you might as well have yourself checked by your doctor. You may have a more complicated problem about sleep, so it is best to do this at once. Source: Health Guidance| 6 Powerful Ways to Stop Being Tired by Brad Isaac on August 16, 2007 One of the more common complaints I hear from people is how tired they feel all the time. I too experience times where I am tired and fight sleepiness. Being tired obviously decreases motivation and causes you to feel like you aren’t at 100%. Being tired might even cost you money! That’s why in order to beat tiredness it’s a good idea to have a plan. Here’s my 6 point plan to beat daytime tiredness: 1. High aerobic exercise *- I’m not talking about a leisurely walk after dinner, I am saying some high intensity stuff. If you find yourself wanting to doze during the day, then you need to increase your aerobic exercise. It increases your blood flow, decreases standing heart rate. You’ll be relaxed more during the day, sleep better at night and feel more energy. John Wesley at Pickthebrain. com says he gets his exercise in the morning and it works for him all day. Personally, I find that either morning or evening works for me. Just depends on the season. So I’d recommend, in the beginning at least, to be flexible and find the right time for you. 2. Cut the sugar – Are you drinking sugar in your coffee or morning beverage? It could be making you tired. When I switched from sugar to honey, I noticed a difference in my energy level that week. Plus, an old farmer’s tip says eating honey from your local bees helps to do away with sinus allergies. Worth a try anyway. Also avoid sugar snacks during the day. Many office workers bring in treats to share with everyone like doughnuts, cakes, ice cream. Just say no. Avoid these sugar traps that zap your energy. 3. Eat a good breakfast – by â€Å"good† I don’t mean Fruit Loops or a Danish. Grab some protein, eggs, low fat toast, granola, yogurt. Skipping breakfast sets you up for a mid morning crash. Plus, you’ll be starved and eat more for lunch (see point #4) 4. Eat a light lunch – This advice comes from Benjamin Franklin. He noticed that his co-workers would gorge themselves at lunch and then have an afternoon of sleepiness. He chose instead to slowly and methodically eat a hunk of bread as he read a book. 5. Take time during lunch for you – which is the second part of Ben Franklin’s advice. While he slowly ate his bread he’d take â€Å"Ben time† by reading a book. By taking a full break from the reality of work in this way, you can come back from a â€Å"mini-vacation† refreshed and ready to take on the afternoon. 6. Cat-nap – If you have a flexible schedule you can nap when you get tired. The key with this is not to nap too long. A 1 to 2 hour nap will make you more tired. A 15 minute nap or caffeine nap will wake you up and prepare you for the rest of the day. Sometimes you can squeeze in a 15 minute cat nap during lunch. Other times you might have to wait until after work. Either way, a nap can refresh and rejuvenate you. Tips on Preventing Sleepiness Below are then few simple ways on how nurses may take to prevent sleepiness while on duty. These ways have been taught immeasurable times already, but I just felt the need to assert these as well. 1. Take a power nap. In numerous studies, taking naps have been found to increase alertness and improve performance. However, taking naps may not be allowed during breaks or meal periods among nurses. They can then take a nap before their shift starts. Naps should be short though (no more than 45 minutes) to reduce awakening from deep sleep and prevent sleep inertia. 2. Consume caffeine. Although caffeine has earned its bad reputation with regards to health, it also has been found to be an effective stimulant in increasing alertness. It just needs to be taken properly. Drinking coffee or tea must then only be done at the beginning of a shift or about an hour before an anticipated sleepiness. Additionally, caffeine must not be taken at least 3 hours before bedtime to prevent the possibility of insomnia. Most important, caffeine must only be consumed when needed, and not on a regular basis or when alert. 3. Drink plenty of water. Water helps prevent dehydration, which increases the feeling of drowsiness. Water should be taken then even when not yet thirsty, to stay energized at work. 4. Go into the light, literally. Light has been found to increase alertness. Sunlight is the most effective; however, artificial light in different levels are also found to induce alertness. Nurses on night duty may then go into well-lit areas for several hours during the shift. 5. Get enough sleep. Enough said. How To Avoid Sleep While Studying? I can still remember when I was in college, studying during exams was like hell and what used to make it worst was my falling asleep. Exams are near and to get good grades, we decide to study for long hours. We decide that the best time to study is the night time, but we cannot stop ourselves from sleeping while we are studying. (Especially in subjects like History, Science, Biology, etc. ) These subjects are too boring to keep us awake.