How do I cope without caffeine and endorphins in the afternoon??

[Blablablabladibla]

I've got into a good morning routine where I have a proplus to wake me up and then do 15 mins of weights purely for how it makes me feel.

I feel alert and content in the morning but feel lethargic in the afternoon and struggle to start anything. I can't take caffeine in the afternoon as I won't be able to sleep and I don't have the motivation to exercise without the caffeine boost so no chance for me to get the extra endorphins.

What can I do?

Is this an indicator that I'm functioning depressed. Am I inattentive ADHD?

I'm 38, not overweight. Eat a balanced diet but crave sugar, it's always a battle not to binge on chocolate.

How soon after taking the proplus do you do your workout?
How much sleep are you getting?
Do you drink enough water?
I used to have a berocca at about 4/5pm to perk me up.

Drop the proplus, you're experiencing a come down from the stimulants which is why you're so lethargic in the afternoon. I find if I have caffeine within an hour I'm ready for a nap.

I'm not sure what you describe is particularly unusual, though most people would rather have a coffee rather than a pill. (From what I've read, coffee, including decaf, may have some health benefits so unless you hate the taste maybe it'd be better).

Some people benefit from a short (15-20 min, use an alarm) after lunch 'power nap'. Maybe a cup of tea after for a mild dose of caffeine to get going again? We're all different, I can't drink coffee in the afternoon but find tea is ok.

What do you eat for lunch? This has a huge influence on how I feel in the afternoon, more than coffee, exercise etc etc.

Can you get out for even a 10 minute walk in the afternoon - that usually is enough to motivate me out of any lethargy/ slump.

Yes, that's important especially if you're someone who craves sugar I would think. Even if you're not eating actual sugar, a carby lunch might be giving you a glucose high then crash. Going for a walk or some other sort of exercise after lunch might help.

Half an hour before.
8 hours or 8.5 hours of sleep.
I drink loads of water. First thing I do when I wake up is drink 400 MLS of water, then I'll have about another 750mls for the rest of the day in smaller glasses.
I'll try a berocca!
At the moment I take Vitamin D and a multi vitamin for hair and nails with my breakfast.

Hmm I don't think so because on days that I don't take pro plus, like when I'm out of routine due to being on holiday I feel just like how I do in the afternoon of a day that I have taken proplus.

It's seems my body can't function properly without caffeine...but it's also so sensitive to it that I can have it in the afternoon. I can't even have a coke in the evening. I also can't have a decaf coffee in the afternoon as it still has some caffeine in it. Not enough to make me alert but enough to interfere with me falling to sleep.

If I drink tea, decaff coffee, or coke in the afternoon I can't sleep.

I normally have two slices of 50/50 toast (no butter) with a 2 eggs scrabbled with a few cherry tomatoes and a slim fast snack chocolate bar of 95 calories.

@ErrolTheDragon I don't think that's that's a very carby lunch.

So far I've not been able to muster up the motivation to do it. I'll try though.

@Blablablabladibla if I ate bread for lunch I'd be in a coma by 3pm.

I don't have any carby stuff, just massive salad with protein.

Also you don't drink much water. I usually drink a litre before lunch at work, one after lunch and a couple of pints in the evening once home.

Def get out for a lunchtime walk. I sometimes save my walk until 2pm

Would dark chocolate cause you issues?. It gets me through the day.

@Droolylabradors wow I really thought I was drinking a lot of water!! I just looked it up apparently women are supposed to be drinking 2 litres a day and I only have about 1 litre 250mls...I thought that was loads! I can change that from literally now...so that's good.

What protein do you have for lunch?

I could definitely have dark chocolate!

Following as I get the same and end up in a sugar spiral to be able to make the long commute home

Ah brilliant! I'm an after lunch napper so have spent years working on this.

Here's my day. Pint of water downed when I first get up. Exercise. Decaf o free on Commute. Start work then breakfast about 9am. Decaf coffee at work.

Square dark 90% choc mid morning.
Lunch is massive salad - I mean like ten types of veg or salad plus grilled chicken or tinned fish or grilled fish (make it the night before)

Afternoon more decaf coffee or decaf Yorkshire tea. Plus a couple more square dark chocolate plus a walk.

Home around 5 (work in a school).

Approx 3L water a day. I get thirsty from exercise and walking at work. Also it keeps me alert and healthy.

Oh plus usually an apple and satsuma at some point.

Ditch the Pro Plus - awful stuff.

@Droolylabradors I can batch cook some chicken breast and maybe alternate that with tinned tuna. I love boiled veg so probs il have that with the chicken and salad with the tuna.

@Ginmonkeyagain why though? If I have coffee I'll be having the same amount of caffeine.

Hi - you can up your water intake if it makes you feel better, but the 2 litre thing is a myth. You’ll find the amount you like/feel best on

I don't think that's that's a very carby lunch.

The eggs are good, toms are good for a bit of veg but all the rest is carby - the "slim fast" bars look like an expensive way of eating sugar tbh.

My DH has (had) sugar cravings - his mum had t2 diabetes and he was heading the same way. If he eats 'white carbs' - which tbh includes any normal bread not just white - he'll get a sugar spike and crash. After a few days of ditching sugar/high GI carbs his cravings generally subside.
So, the advice from PP to eat more protein and veg for lunch will hopefully help you.

This is a sign of ADHD for me, and my ADHD medication brings it up to a manageable level without affecting sleep. I still get a bit tired in the afternoons, but I'm no longer zombie level/struggle to form words/would feel unsafe driving kind of tired.

However you'd need to have other symptoms! It was one of my more minor ones, the more serious things were being a general mess of a person and never being able to stick with anything ever. Forgetful, interrupting, fidgety, messy, trouble with habits and time management etc. But it was the one symptom I couldn't seem to shift at all no matter what else I did whereas strategies went some way to helping the others.

I do think an afternoon lull in energy is a pretty normal part of the circadian rhythm. It might be worth trialling without the caffeine as some people do find that taking caffeine too early in the day causes a kind of withdrawal in the afternoon. Obvious question but are you getting enough sleep? And have you had blood tests to rule out something like anaemia? If you've got children and especially had fairly recent pregnancies/breastfeeding then it's very common to be low on iron, and that will make you feel absolutely drained.

I do tend to need closer to 9 hours sleep, and do better if I can adopt a night owl schedule. Not always practical with small children. I can cope with broken/not enough sleep but I think that's just because I've always been used to being tired.

Sleep tracking as reported by a fitness band (so, not hugely accurate) seems to report a huge variety in amount of deep sleep, but commonly very little (average under an hour, commonly under 30 mins). Then some nights over 2 hours.

When I was younger I was completely tolerant to caffeine and could drink tea/coffee at all hours of the night and never had issues falling asleep. Since pregnancy with DC3 I am very very sensitive to it and can only have one maybe two coffees in the morning. Tea, coffee, decaf after 2pm will keep me awake. Coke is fine, even if I drink loads of it (sugar cravings here too). I used to love energy drinks (I'm a weirdo and like the taste) but I'm a bit cautious about combining them with stimulant medication so rarely partake now.