The clock hits 2:17pm. Your eyelids betray you, drooping and heavy. Sitting at your desk drooling, you have officially crashed. Is there some internal biological clock that says "Hey, It's afternoon...Sleepy time!"? Yea, I know, this is the part where I chime in about some energy drink right? Well actually, no. What is happening is known as the “Afternoon Crash”. This is something I battle against everyday at work and I have found some healthy strategies to battle the crash. Sleep, diet, and exercise are the "healthy" keys to unlocking a long lasting and productive energy. Adjusting these appropriately will help make your afternoons much more productive. There is also a way to cheat the crash, which I will get into later after I tell you about all the healthy stuff.

Healthy Stuff

Exercise regularly. Exercise, without overdoing it, improves almost every aspect of health. Having a regular exercise routine will improve mood, regulate appetite, and increase sustainable energy levels. Exercise also helps you sleep better which leads us to the the next weapon in our arsenal...

Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is a huge factor in energy for the work day. A regular and healthy sleep schedule has many benefits. Lack of sleep will lead to memory and learning problems, weight gain, and mood issues. Lack of sleep also manipulates the bodies metabolism and hormones, increasing appetite and leading to weight gain. Adopting good sleeping practices will help you have more energy throughout the day.

Avoid processed sugars and carbs. Processed sugars are terrible and cause insulin spikes in the blood stream which lack sustainable energy. Processed sugars can be addicting, increase the likelihood of obesity, inhibit healthy digestion, are associated with the onset of heart disease and cancer, and suppresses immunity.

Cheating the Afternoon Crash

If you don't exercise, refuse to sleep decent hours, and can't resist sugary coated donut goodness, then you have only one option...coffee, lots of coffee. You'll need to have a steady supply from morning till closing time, probably 3-5 cups worth. I drink everything from the finest Starbuck's blends to gut-wrenching instant coffees. Anything for the boost!

The Cheat that Doesn't Work

During the information gathering of this article I decided it would be a nice gesture to buy cotton candy and red bull for the office. Bad Idea! Consuming pure sugar with Red Bull destroys concentration and work performance. Red Bull and cotton candy might appear to be instant energy, but it was a disaster!

Don't do energy drinks, tried them, the’re expensive and will destroy your insides. After about a month or two of energy drinks your insides will feel like the roof of your mouth after eating Captain Crunch and the price will drain your wallet.

To Cheat or Not to Cheat?

To battle the crash in a healthy way adopt a regular sleep cycle, exercise regularly, and avoid processed sugars. Not only will you feel better as the afternoon rolls around but many other aspects of your life will improve from taking up a healthier lifestyle. If you have to cheat, choose coffee and stay away from energy drinks.

tl;dr: If you can't exercise, sleep regularly and eat