In order to end sleep during the day, it is best to get enough sleep at night. The ideal sleep time is around 7 to 8 hours a night, however, if a person sleeps for 9 hours at night and upon waking up feeling refreshed and in a good mood, it is 9 hours of good sleep that they need.
So, some great tips for getting some sleep during the day include:
1. Eat stimulating foods
To get sleep, it is recommended to consume stimulant foods or drinks, such as:
- Strong coffee;
- Guarana powder;
- Acai;
- dark chocolate;
- Ginger tea.
These foods are stimulants capable of increasing the mood, as they accelerate the heartbeat, improving blood circulation and, as a consequence, help to take away excess sleep.
However, its use should be reduced to a minimum, because, in addition to favoring heart disease, they make it difficult to absorb calcium, which can damage bones.
2. Take a quick 15-minute nap
Another good tip for those who can't get enough sleep at night and, therefore, end up getting very sleepy when they need to be more focused, is to take advantage of lunch time for a quick nap or take advantage of commuting trips to work to sleep. Despite not being a good quality sleep, these minutes of sleep help to recharge some energy, giving you an extra desire to stay focused on the task at hand.
The people most likely to suffer from sleep during the day are shift workers, such as healthcare professionals, police officers, firefighters and security guards. For these, it is advisable to take the opportunity to sleep or rest whenever they can.
3. Exercise every 30 minutes
This is another very effective technique that can yield extra energy. To do this, just stop every 30 minutes and do some kind of exercise to stimulate blood circulation. Some good examples are doing stretches, like touching your hands to your feet, or even doing some push-ups.
With this type of trick it is almost always possible to get another 20 to 30 minutes of extra energy.
4. Putting yourself in a less comfortable environment
The feeling of sleep usually only appears when you are in a comfortable environment, that is, in a comfortable position, with little sound and a pleasant temperature. So, counteracting these factors can be a good way to stay more awake. To do this, just put on some music playing, open the window a little to let in some wind and even avoid studying in bed.
Eating small snacks when working or studying can also help fight sleep, especially if you include light foods with good properties to stimulate the brain response. So, some examples are:
- 1 avocado with nuts or oatmeal;
- 1 yogurt with cereal;
- 1 avocado smoothie.
These snacks are rich in antioxidants and good fats, which help the brain function, and can be a good option to complete the use of a stimulating food, for example.
6. Take a deep breath 10 times
Taking deep breaths helps to increase the amount of oxygen in your blood, which can help combat feelings of excessive sleep. To do this, take a deep breath through the nose, hold the air for 2 seconds and then throw all the air out through the mouth, repeating up to 10 times.
Another breathing technique that seems to be quite effective is:
- Cover one nostril with your index finger and inhale through the other;
- Hold the air, remove the hand from the nose, cover the other nostril and release the air;
- Repeat the process, but starting by inhaling through the same nostril that the air was released.
7. Chat with another person
Talking for a few minutes, with a coworker or on the phone, preferably about an interesting or fun topic, helps to stimulate the brain and make it more awake.
