How to banish the menopausal post-lunch slump
Whether a morning owl or a night lark, we’ve all fallen victim to the post-lunch slump; the dip in energy that plagues even the most productive afternoon. It's an unavoidable physiological response, but there are ways you can combat the effects of this and get your afternoons from sluggish to super-charged - even during the menopause, when energy levels can be low.
First up, remember that feeling drowsy in the afternoon is physiologically normal; so normal, in fact, that some cultures have incorporated it into their daily lives. But seeing as it's unlikely the Spanish 'siesta' will be making its way to the UK anytime soon, how can we beat the slump and regain our afternoons?
What causes dips in energy?
According to Dr. Ian Katznelson, a neurologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, there are two systems at play. The first is your circadian rhythm, the ‘biological clock’ that your body runs by, which is affected by your environment – for example, the amount of light you are exposed to. It’s what makes you sleepy when it’s dark and alert in daylight. While everyone's body is different, this 'clock' generally runs to a 24-hour cycle and controls how your bodily functions fluctuate throughout the day and is knocked out of sync by things like shift work or a lack of day light.
The second system at play is sleep pressure. This is the idea that our need to sleep gradually builds the longer we are awake. A bit like a battery, our body is charged overnight by sleep and then reduces throughout the day. And according to Dr Alon Avidan, a professor of neurology at the University of California, the reason we might experience dip in alertness in the afternoon is because that's when neurotransmitters linked to feeling awake become less active.
The impact of both of these systems is worsened by poor quality sleep - effects are worse when you have poor quality of sleep or are affected by conditions like sleep apnea or insomnia – a common experience for many women going through menopause. For many menopausal or perimenopausal women, poor quality sleep is a fact of life but if your battery doesn't start the day with a full charge then you are likely to run out of energy a lot quicker than you should.
What about lunch? Surprisingly, although the slump tends to hit the hardest just after lunchtime for most of us, its largely unrelated to eating, say experts. There are some food which are worse than others, however - foods high in sugar can spike your insulin which will give you a quick boost of energy in the short term but will leave you feeling sluggish afterwards.
How to banish the slump:
Take a power nap – sometimes, it's best to listen to your body and try not to fight it. If you are able to take a quick nap, make sure to keep it to 20 mins or less or you could wake up feeling groggy or struggle to fall asleep later.
Prioritise easy tasks – try doing something that requires less focus says Ron Goetzel, director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Tasks that require less brain power (and therefore less energy) are best kept for the afternoon – those small, bitty tasks you might have been putting off like decluttering your inbox.
Get some movement – go outside for a walk when you feel drowsy. Research has linked physical activity to improved alertness and concentration, and getting some daylight will help regulate your circadian rhythm which will lead to a better nights sleep.
Hack your blood sugar – according to Jesse Inchauspé aka the Glucose Goddess there are lots of simple tips that can help reduce the sugar spike after lunch. The order you eat your food in (fiber first, protein and fats, sugar last) could make a difference to the level of insulin produced; also packing your lunch full of veggies could help slow down the release of energy throughout the afternoon. Or you could try a small amount of apple cider vinegar in water before you eat your meal which has proven to be an effective way to reduce insulin spikes in the body.
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