to ask how you get past the mid afternoon dip?

[cjt110]

I seem to always feel so sleepy and tired at around 2-3pm. Most days when Im at work, I could happily curl up on my desk. Days when Im not, I will often have a nap which is around an hour. Yesterday I napped from 830-930pm then went to bed at 10!

Whats the best way to shake off this feeling of tiredness?
Thanks

I find this gets much worse for me when I eat carbs for lunch. low carb lunch and a mid afternoon protein snack?

Im currently on slimming world Vim I had homemade oven cooked chips and beans for dinner. What kind of low carb lunch do you suggest?

Iron tablets. I'm not joking.
My afternoon dips were atrocious. I could barely keep my eyes open. A regular iron tablet a day have helped me to sleep better and no severe afternoon dip.

I agree re the carbs. I haven't had this problem since low carbing. Something like salad with protein such as boiled egg, salmon etc or omlettes are all good low carb lunches.

An apple - actually far more effective than coffee.

And Slimming World friendly too!

When I worked in an office, I always felt better if I went out for a walk at lunch time. Only needed to be ten minutes or so. Even if I really didn't feel like it at the time, I felt the benefit later.

And having a filling and nutritious but not soporific lunch is important too.

(Assume you have no underlying health condition? Iron or vitamin deficiency can leave one very tired.)

Personal You choose to take those things?! I had to have them when pregnant and they were horrid.

Harriet I do have an underactive thyroid but apparently tghis has now levelled off after being diagnosed 10m ago. I was only recently checked and now on an annual retest as my medication levels are correct.

Just had a hot chocolate Not the best idea Im sure but I feel a bit better for it!

Yes to fresh air at lunchtime, I only get this when I'm at work and sat at a desk all day, never get it at home when I'm on the move and in and out of the house. Low/no carb lunches made absolutely no difference, coffee doesn't either for me.

I generally don't.

Written from the sofa

Water everytime.
It always happens to me during Non-stop oldies on R2 and as soon as it's finished I go to the work kitchen and get a large glass of water (literally about a pint or so). Drank by pm and it always works.

Lucky you poo!

A sublingual B12 tab.

Try Spatone iron supplement
I take it in orange juice, it's ok and doesn't mess up your stomach or bowels

Yes to low carb.

Seriously, most days I was mainlining biscuits to get me past the 3pm dip. I went low carb and the afternoon crashes disappeared completely. I felt brilliant. And considering I had a preschooler and a three month old baby, I had plenty of reasons to feel knackered.

Is it worth a check with my doc do you reckon?

Sub lingual B12 and a 'gentle' iron tablet. Needed the awful iron tablets as properly anaemic and then went on to the OTC ones.

Low B12 levels made me want to crawl under desk and sleep and I was going to bed at 9 every night. Went to London with a friend and couldn't walk for more than a few hundred yards without stopping for a 'wee sit down'.

Easily fixed but a terrifying glimpse into what it must be like to be properly ill.

Try thiamine

80sWaistcoat and Unicorn - Can you buy them OTC? I have some of those berocca type tablets but they make my wee bright yellow!

Second what the others said about iron - lots of women are low in iron without quite being anaemic, and lots are actually anaemic. Iron supplements take about 2 weeks to work, so don't dismiss it as not working after 5 or 6 days.

Pregnancy iron tablets and ones I had to take when actually anaemic years ago messed up my digestive system a bit... but more recently I've taken an over the counter lower dose iron supplement disolved in fruit juice with no ill effects, and it sorted out a couple of months of tiredness and dizzy spells.

Yup, sounds like a carb coma to me.

Ditching the bread will help: have a chicken, lentil and Feta salad instead

I take Ferroglobin tablets - get them on Amazon or from Boots. Don't aggravate my tummy and is just a bit of a top up as I'm a bit crap absorbing iron and in perimenopause was bleeding a lot. (TMI)

But if you are properly anaemic then you need the stuff from the doctors first.

B12 - had the injections and now just pop a tablet most days to keep the levels up. Again, rubbish at absorbing it and have used up all my reserves.

But really, you should go to a GP - Tired all the Time is a thing - and they'll do the right tests!

If its just normal tired then getting out and about at lunchtime will probably help. Also make sure you are actually sleeping at night!

I get mine from iherb online, cheap delivery. I find the Solgar 5000 or 1000 the best.

Also if you're not already taking it then some Vitamin D3. You can get 10,000 IU ones. I have found Healthy Origins the best over the years, have tried a few! You can get those on amazon. The benefits of taking Vit D3 are huge. Less colds, generally feeling better, and most people are lacking.

I eat a reasonably low carb lunch (just one slice of bread if I have soup)
I drink lots of water
I take iron tablets
I always get a good night's sleep

I'm still floppy as a blancmange come 2pm. Proplus sees me through the worst ones.

Don't worry about the yellow berocca wee - it's just the excess vit B2 (riboflavin) which is water soluble and gets peed out.

Is this a new kind of tiredness or have you always been like this?

What is your sleep like?

Assuming your sleep is OK and this is a new thing, I would seriously recommend a GP visit to get bloods done properly. I wouldn't start taking things without this as you don't know a. If there is a physical underlying cause and b. You can't monitor the effectiveness of anything you take unless you know the "starting point"

Agree with the fresh air. I also (have medical issues causing tiredness) actually try not to sleep in at weekends - although the temptation is hard to resist - as it doesn't help my sleep patterns. Ive also suffered from chronic severe insomnia for years and have to be really strict with sleep hygiene.