Getting through a Sleepy Workday
February 19, 2007
Sure, you can get to bed late, sleep for “a couple of hours,” get to work on time, and put in a full day, but, according to The National Sleep Foundation, people who remain awake for 18 hours straight function similar to drinkers with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08%, the level states use to determine whether someone is legally impaired to operate a car.
In addition, when you don’t get enough sleep, your brain starts thinking it needs to store food; leptin, a hormone that helps regulate hunger and body fat, drops from lack of sleep, triggering hunger.
Sleep researchers agree that the following may help you get through your sleep-deprived day:
- Use a bright light to help keep you awake - Fluorescent light without ultraviolet rays administered in the morning works well.
- Take a nap - You might have to book a windowless conference room to rescue your lagging performance.
- Coffee - Caffeine can clear your body of the chemical adenosine, which makes us want to sleep.
- Coffee, then nap - Researchers at the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University in England found that the best way to regain alertness if you feel like you’re falling asleep is to chug a cup of coffee and then immediately take a 15-minute nap.