After lunch, it’s common for people to seek out it difficult to take care of their wide-open gaze. When you’re working from home, you would all the time take a nap. But it is a common problem that many office-goers face. Lethargy develops because of this of abrupt variations within the body’s blood sugar levels. The “post-lunch dip” or “postprandial somnolence” are terms used to explain the phenomenon. You should not alone when you are experiencing the identical thing. But you have to be aware of how you can avoid feeling sleepy after lunch with a view to beat the post lunch lethargy.

The biological reason for that is adenosine, a chemical within the brain that helps sleep. It is normally at its peak right before bedtime. But it could also increase within the afternoon, resulting in drowsiness after lunch. Nonetheless, to beat it it’s worthwhile to make a couple of changes to your lunch food plan.

In her recent Instagram post, celebrity nutritionist Dr Anjali Mukherjee spoke about how you possibly can avoid feeling drowsy or drained after having lunch. She also shared a couple of foods that folks often select for lunch and eat, but they needs to be avoided because they’re mainly accountable for the drowsiness after lunch.

Take a look at her post here:

She says, “A day siesta might be very tempting, however the sluggishness that accompanies it could often feel unpleasant. Include grilled chicken, more vegetables, and salads; all of them help improve your mood and overall health. But foods like burgers, noodles, fried starters, pav bhaji, and pizzas are common lunchtime traps that leave you feeling light headed and sleepy afterwards.”

Listed below are some things to take note to avoid feeling sleepy after lunch:

1. Eat protein-rich foods

When you experience afternoon drowsiness, add protein-rich foods like eggs, lentils, quinoa, cottage cheese, peanuts, almonds, tofu, milk, and green peas to your lunch as a substitute of sugar to assist you not sleep and alert. Contrary to popular belief, protein stimulates the mind greater than sugar. It’s a reliable source of long-lasting energy and promotes stamina. Protein also aids in maintaining stable blood sugar levels and prevents energy spikes and crashes. And guess what? You’ll feel satiated and fuller for an extended time because of this.

Protein is protein, irrespective of the way you get it! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

2. Avoid carbohydrates

Avoiding carbohydrates at lunch will assist you stay attentive within the afternoon. It might induce sleepiness greater than other foods. In keeping with a study published within the Advances in Nutrition September 2016 issue, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was found to be enhanced by a high-carbohydrate food plan. As one in every of the three components of your food plan, carbohydrates needs to be included in your food plan in the shape of whole grains, fruits, fresh vegetables, etc.

Also, read: When you feel sleepy on a regular basis in summer, these 8 suggestions will help

3. Avoid lunch time traps

Common lunchtime traps are rice and curry, rice and dal, burgers, biryanis, dosas, idlis, sambar, noodles, cream, soups, corn starch based soups (in Chinese), fried starters, whether veg or non-veg, pav bhaji, vada pav, and pizzas are the commonly available lunchtime traps that the majority people are likely to fall into and feel light headed and sleepy afterwards.