You return from your lunch break but find yourself dozing a few minutes later, unable to keep your eyes open. You keep rereading the same paragraph, you cannot correctly remember the task you were undertaking before your lunch. It happens to the best of us, workers, and students alike. The decline in productivity after lunch-commonly referred to as food coma or postprandial somnolence-is often seen as a side effect of heavy meals. However, research has shown that it is a natural biological response regardless of what is eaten.

Machines break down if they work for long periods and humans operate in the same way. The body has an internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm. This rhythm regulates sleep and alertness. Although the circadian rhythm has been known to be associated with sleep at night, research has shown that there is usually a dip in alertness at noon. This means that your body has been timed to take a break within the day. Even on days when you skip lunch, you may still notice the dip in energy at around the same time. This shows that it is  pre-programmed into the human body.

What Happens In your Brain After Lunch

You are what you eat. Although the post-lunch nap is not caused by food, it has a bearing on the intensity of the slump. Eating heavier meals, such as kenkey or fufu or sugar filled drinks can cause more sluggishness as compared to someone who has a much lighter meal.

After lunch, the body pushes energy into digesting the food eaten. This makes the brain become less efficient without completely shutting off. The result is that there is reduced concentration and increased mistakes (which are often avoidable) as well as a slower reaction time. Students around this time find it difficult reading and understanding paragraphs or workers may find it a little hard drafting an email or have some difficulties completing simple tasks.

The interaction between the circadian rhythm and the sleep pressure,which is a gradual rise of fatigue since waking up usually causes post-lunch nap. This means that people who are prone to this are most often people who do not get a lot of sleep, night shift workers and older people from the age of 65. People with health conditions such as diabetes, depression, obesity and a few others are also at risk of post-lunch nap. Although not life threatening, it is recommended to refrain from operating heavy machinery or drive if one feels sleepy after meals.

How To Deal with Post-Lunch Nap

Although there may not be a way to completely avoid the post-lunch nap, there are ways to minimize it. One can take a short walk after lunch to help drive away the sluggishness. Eating smaller, more balanced meals with enough protein and fibre reduces the slump. If possible, one can also take a short nap to keep the body at reduced fatigued state. One can also run through more demanding tasks in the morning and then move to lighter tasks after lunch. This allows for more efficient and sustainable work ethics.

Know that the dozing off after lunch does not bode badly on you, your body is giving you a gentle nudge to remind you that you are not a machine. Do not feel guilty. By recognizing this pattern and adjusting our routines accordingly, we can work with our brains, rather than against them, to maintain focus and productivity throughout the day.