The Afternoon Slump is an ACTUAL Scientific Thing

Don't worry, it's not you who's considered going for a nap in the stationery cupboard at 3pm.

21 March, 2018
The Afternoon Slump is an ACTUAL Scientific Thing

​Whether you ate a burger for lunch and it's a carb-induced doziness or whether it feels totally undeserved because you had a salad, the afternoon slump is something that is real and true and hits you regularly.

Usually rearing its ugly head at around 3pm, the afternoon slump is like a grey cloud hanging above your head, willing you to nap and draining you of any ability to work like a fully-functioning human. 

But is it an actual, legit thing, or is it just in our imaginations because we're a lazy bunch of millenials who don't know how good we've got it? 

Luckily, it turns out it's actually a scientifically understood concept. So you can tell your boss to shove THAT in their pipe and smoke it when they next ask you why you've made a makeshift pillow out of a jumper on your desktop.

Francesca Bennet, health and wellbeing programme manager at AXA PPP Healthcare explained the whole thing for us.

"If you're lacking in energy and motivation in the afternoon, don't worry, you're not on your own," she reassured. "Sleep is dictated by circadian rhythms also known as 'The Body Clock' and sleep homeostasis." 

So far, so good, because you throw complex words like 'circadian' and 'homeostasis' at your enquiring boss and you'll throw them off guard, I reckon. Anyway, here's a bit more info about what all that means:

​[pullquote align="C"]it's a bit like a see-saw; while your alertness drops, your need for sleep increases[/pullquote]​

"Circadian rhythm regulates physiological and behavioural processes including temperature control, hormone production, alertness and sleep," Francesca Bennet explained. "Sleep homeostasis refers to the need for balance; with every waking hour the drive for sleep increases.

"The urge to sleep increases towards 2pm, this is driven by a natural dip in circadian alerting system and an increase in sleep homeostasis drive."

So it's a bit like a see-saw; while your alertness drops, your need for sleep increases. Which is pretty annoying, really. But there's a reason why the 'Afternoon Slump' occurs when it does.

"It occurs approximately 12 hours after we are in our deepest sleep at 2-3am," Francesca noted, which makes total sense.

"The 'Afternoon slump' is a normal feeling and has previously been associated with eating a big meal. This is not the direct cause, but may act as a contributing lifestyle factor on the sleep wake cycle. Poor lifestyle habits and insufficient quality and quantity of sleep can increase the feelings of tiredness and the 'Afternoon slump'."

So there you go, it's a legit thing. The Spanish are totally on to something with their siestas, aren't they?

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Credit: Cosmopolitan
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