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Felling drowsy? It may be due to lack of sleep or the kind of food you eat

Call it the Post Lunch Syndrome – PLS for short.

“That’s just 50 per cent of the people,” said a CEO of a start-up. Yeah, the other half downs pots of coffee to combat the afternoon blahs. Or steps out to light up. Did you notice how the chai boy comes around with his kettle at exactly this low energy hour? “It’s the rice we eat,” moaned a techie. “It gives you sleep and a rice belly, both totally free.”

Medically true, though rice may not be the only culprit.

Stomach the fact. Starch makes you droopy. More starch makes you more droopy. It’s not what you eat, it’s what you eat, eat and eat. To stay awake and reasonably alert, you eat more – snack on fried stuff, biscuits and sweets. “I have this terrible craving at 3 p.m.,” said a BPO employee. “I just have to reach for munchies.” So down to the canteen for the day’s “hot special” to be washed down with more coffee. By late afternoon, the digestive sensex crashes. Internal chaos.

Are you getting your 8 (at least 6) hours of uninterrupted sleep? Make sure you do. But if eating is the perpetrator of pm snooze, why not try different fillings in the lunch box? There must be better ways to treat PLS than competing to be a caffeine addict. Like these.

[1] Plain water. Whether you splash it on the face and arms, or drink your fill, H2O fights fatigue and dehydration (made worse by all that caffeine). The cooler, the better. “I encouraged my staff to douse their face with water every half an hour,” said Ram, an ex-government employee. He should know.

[2] Fruit juice instead of coffee. “Try watermelon,” said a nutritionist. “You get sugar to spike you up, vitamins to make the zip last longer. It’s guilt-free, fibre-rich and at fewer cals, it’s a steal.” A bowl of pineapple slices should do the same.

[3] If your pay cheque allows you this luxury, stow a box of nuts and raisins. Many nuts (the eating variety) are strong in mood-lifting selenium and fatigue-fighting magnesium. Camels are fed dates for quick energy to cross deserts. You just have to cross the afternoon hours. Here is a Protein-Fat combo to help you on that journey.

[4] Eat rotis instead of a rice meal. Dry rotis and dal (in moderation, not in stacks) is light on the stomach, spares you of the “full” feeling and adds nutrition to your caffeine-rich diet. Can’t get it? Pack a whole-grain sandwich with fresh veggies.

[5] Some suggest spicy food, but if it’s starch again, don’t count on it.

[6] If you must have tea, go green. Green tea is a healthier option and its taste is guaranteed to kick start you to face the afternoon blues.

Did I hear coke? Forget it. That’s guzzling unwanted calories for a temporary respite.PLS confessors have other ready-to-use remedies. Tried and tested. “Stand up and stretch,” said one. “Revive the circulation in the limbs. Walk around when you feel the onset of droopiness. Go for a jog around the block. Do something different. Chat with colleagues. A break is a great pick-me-upper.”

May be the best way to fight the afternoon drowsiness is not to fight it. Why not power nap Sunitha, wife of an IT employee, has the last word. “Work 6-hour shifts, - 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Go home and spend time with family. Have a hot meal, take a short nap and spend time with kids. Why would you slouch in the seat in the post-noon hours?”

All fine. Except for this unbeatable cure. You have a deadline staring at you? The boss waiting, watching, breathing down your sagging upper arms? Forget the slump. You perk up and get on with the work. Rice or rotis.

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