Productivity Hacks: Make The Most Of Your Day

Feeling sleepy during the day is a common issue, with 5% to 10% of people in the United States experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness or hypersomnia. While it's tempting to hit the snooze button and get some extra sleep, this can actually make you feel more groggy and affect your productivity throughout the day. Instead, there are several effective strategies you can employ to boost your energy levels and make the most of your time. From simple activities like taking a walk, splashing your face with cold water, or listening to music, to more mindful practices such as meditation and gratitude journaling, there are numerous ways to combat daytime sleepiness and improve your overall well-being.

Drink caffeine

Drinking caffeine is a good way to stay awake if you're feeling sleepy during the day. Caffeine is a stimulant that can help you stay alert and is found in drinks like coffee, soda, and tea. However, it's important to be mindful of your caffeine intake and the time of day you're consuming it. While caffeine can help you stay awake, it can also disrupt your sleep when consumed too late in the day. It's best to switch to decaf beverages as the day goes on to avoid interfering with your nighttime rest.

If you're looking to use caffeine to stay awake all night, it's recommended to have several small doses throughout, rather than one big dose. Espresso shots, caffeine pills, or caffeinated gum are some options. It's also important to note that moderate doses of caffeine (around 600 milligrams or four cups of coffee) can improve your cognitive abilities, while higher doses (900 milligrams or more) may cause negative side effects like anxiety and shakiness, making it harder to concentrate.

While caffeine can be a helpful tool, it's not the only way to stay awake. Other strategies include taking short naps, exposing yourself to bright light, exercising, and staying hydrated. Additionally, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, having a comfortable sleep environment, and limiting screen time before bed can all contribute to improving your sleep quality and reducing daytime sleepiness.

It's worth noting that staying awake all night is not recommended due to the negative impact of sleep deprivation on your health and well-being. However, if you must stay awake, using caffeine in moderation and combining it with other strategies can help you safely navigate through the night.

Remember, if you constantly feel tired or if your sleepiness interferes with your daily life, it's important to consult a healthcare professional for personalized advice and guidance.

Get some sun

Sunlight is a natural stimulant that can help you stay awake and feel energized. Light, especially sunlight, influences your body's internal clock. Getting some sun exposure during the day can help keep you awake and promote a good night's sleep later.

Try to spend at least 30 minutes a day outside in natural sunlight. If you're unable to go outside, sitting near a window with sunlight streaming in can also help. Even a brief step outside for some fresh air and sunshine can revive your senses and help you feel more alert.

If you're inside for most of the day, consider investing in a lamp with an LED bulb that can simulate sunlight. This can be especially useful if you're working night shifts or struggling with insomnia. Exposing yourself to bright light can reduce sleepiness and increase alertness.

Exposing your eyes to sunlight or bright light in the morning can also help set your internal clock for the day and improve your overall sleep quality. This is because sunlight suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel sleepy. By getting sunlight during the day, you'll also help regulate your body's production of melatonin at night, which will improve your sleep.

In addition to the stimulating effects of sunlight, spending time outdoors can have other benefits. Fresh air and a change of scenery can reduce fatigue and spark creativity. Taking a walk or doing some light exercise outdoors can help bring blood flow to your muscles and wake you up.

Exercise

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic or "cardio" exercises are a great way to get your heart pumping and improve your cardiovascular health. These include activities such as brisk walking, swimming, biking, jogging, or water aerobics. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, which will make you break a sweat and increase your heart rate, but still allow you to hold a conversation. Studies have shown that moderate-intensity aerobic activities can improve sleep quality and reduce excessive daytime sleepiness for people with insomnia. If you're looking to build up your endurance, you can also try vigorous-intensity activities like running, lap-swimming, intense bike rides, or sports like basketball or singles tennis.

Resistance and Strength Training

Resistance exercises, also known as strength training, help build muscle strength throughout your body. Examples include working out with resistance bands, doing push-ups, sit-ups, or other bodyweight exercises, and weightlifting. The key to effective strength training is repetition—start with one set of each exercise and gradually increase to multiple sets as you get more comfortable. Research suggests that regular strength training can improve sleep quality and lower anxiety and depression symptoms that may hinder sleep.

Yoga

Yoga is a specific type of resistance training that combines posture improvement, breathing exercises, and meditation. It has been shown to alleviate stress, help with weight loss, and reduce pain in the neck and lower back. Yoga has also been found to improve sleep quality, especially for adults over 60, women with sleep problems, and women with Type 2 diabetes.

Timing and Intensity

The best time of day to exercise is still a subject of debate. While some people may find that working out close to bedtime interferes with their sleep, others may not be affected by the timing of their workouts. Listen to your body and experiment with different workout times to see what works best for you. You can try exercising in the morning, afternoon, or a few hours before bedtime to see which routine improves your sleep the most.

Starting Small

You don't have to dive into an intense workout regimen right away. Even a simple 15-minute walk or some light stretching can give you an energy boost and improve your sleep. Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day can make a big difference in improving your sleep and alleviating anxiety.

So, if you're feeling sleepy, try getting up and moving your body! Exercise is a great way to boost your energy levels and improve your sleep quality over time.

Meditate

Meditation is a practice that has been used for thousands of years in Hindu, Buddhist, Zen/Chan and Taoist communities. It is a technique to enhance attention, emotional awareness, kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and mental calmness even in difficult situations.

How to Meditate

• Sit up in a comfortable position, straighten your back, and close your eyes.
• You can find a guided meditation to start your day, focus on a thought or mantra, or simply pay attention to your breathing, keeping thoughts of the day at bay for now.
• Notice when your mind wanders, which will happen. Don't be hard on yourself when your mind goes elsewhere – just note where your mind drifted and then gently return your attention to your breath.

Benefits of Meditation

Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Meditation is a well-known technique to reduce stress and anxiety. Research has shown that it can decrease physiological markers of stress, such as increased cortisol and heart rate, which can have wide-ranging impacts on everything from sleep to blood pressure.

Improve Sleep

Meditation can shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and improve sleep quality. It can also help relax your body, release tension, and ease you into a peaceful state in which you’re more likely to fall asleep.

Enhance Self-Awareness

Some forms of meditation may help you develop a stronger understanding of yourself, helping you grow into your best self. For example, self-inquiry meditation aims to help you develop a greater understanding of yourself and how you relate to those around you.

Lengthen Attention Span

Focused attention meditation helps increase your attention span’s strength and endurance.

Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss

Meditation has been shown to improve attention and clarity of thinking, which may help keep your mind young and fight age-related memory loss and dementia.

Generate Kindness

Some types of meditation may particularly increase positive feelings and actions toward yourself and others. Metta meditation, for example, begins with developing kind thoughts and feelings toward yourself, and then extending this kindness and forgiveness externally, first to friends, then acquaintances, and ultimately enemies.

Help with Addiction

The mental discipline you can develop through meditation may help you break dependencies by increasing your self-control and awareness of triggers for addictive behaviours.

Control Pain

Some research suggests that incorporating meditation into your routine could be beneficial for controlling pain and improving quality of life.

Decrease Blood Pressure

Meditation can reduce strain on the heart and blood vessels, helping to prevent heart disease. Blood pressure decreases during meditation and over time in people who meditate regularly.

Socialise

Socialising is a great way to stay awake and energised. If you're feeling sleepy, connecting with others can be an effective way to boost your alertness and focus. Here are some ways you can socialise to stay awake:

Connect with Friends and Colleagues:

Engaging in conversations and social interactions can be an excellent way to stay awake. Reach out to friends, family, or colleagues and have meaningful discussions. Social connections can help distract you from feelings of tiredness and keep your mind active and engaged.

Join Social Activities:

Consider joining social activities or groups that align with your interests. Whether it's a book club, sports team, volunteer work, or a hobby group, participating in social activities can help you stay awake and energised. Interacting with like-minded individuals can boost your motivation and provide mental stimulation.

Network in Your Community:

Explore networking opportunities within your community. Attend local events, join community organisations, or participate in neighbourhood gatherings. By connecting with people in your community, you can stay awake while also building valuable relationships and contributing to your surroundings.

Engage in Social Media:

While excessive screen time can be detrimental to sleep, moderate use of social media platforms can provide a way to socialise and stay connected with others. Join online communities, participate in forums, or connect with friends and influencers on social media. However, be mindful of the content you consume, as certain media or news can trigger stress or negative emotions.

Plan Social Gatherings:

Take the initiative and plan social gatherings yourself. Organise a dinner party, host a game night, or invite friends for a coffee catch-up. By creating social opportunities, you can fill your time with engaging interactions and shared experiences that will help keep sleepiness at bay.

Remember, socialising is a two-way street. While it can help you stay awake, it's important to be mindful of others' time and energy levels as well. Ensure that your social interactions are mutually beneficial and respectful of everyone's well-being.

Frequently asked questions