Falling Asleep at Work: Reasons and Tips to Stay Awake

Working at a desk can lead to falling asleep. Those aren't dreamy situations. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep your eyes focused on the computer screen, and your head begins to nod off. If this happens, all your colleagues and supervisor will see you falling asleep at work. Too much stress or overwork keeps us from sleeping soundly at night. Unless you work as a mattress tester, preventing it can be achieved with a few tips that can be easily applied.

Reasons Why We Fall Asleep at Our Desk

Frequent changes in shift timings

Too many changes in the timings of your work shifts can eventually disrupt your sleep patterns. As a result, your body gets confused about tiredness, and you have restless sleep at night. The next morning or shift, you begin to feel drowsy and find yourself falling asleep at work.

Not enough exercise

Regular exercise keeps your body in good shape and plays a part in regulating the sleep cycle. Of course, it isn’t easy exercising just before bed and, in some cases, makes it harder to fall asleep. In other cases, exercises may not affect your sleep. See what works best with your body to prevent you from falling asleep standing up at work.

Noisy bedrooms

Some of us have a lot of digital distractions in our bedrooms: TVs, tablets, smartphones, etc. It might even include not keeping a boundary between your work and living areas.

Too much sugar intake

The most common claim that sugar can help you stay awake is that it has a calming effect. Nevertheless, when you are tired, you should stay away from sugar. A blood sugar spike is followed by a very low energy surge, resulting in a feeling of sleepiness the next day. Despite its health benefits, sugarcane can even adversely affect your sleep pattern at night, keeping you awake at a time when your body needs it most.

Too much screen time

If you watch television for extended periods, your brain can become exhausted, and your eyes can become fatigued. Take an effective breaktime every hour and make sure that you frequently blink throughout the day. Set your watch so that you are reminded. Your brain needs a restorative time to wind down at night, so avoid keeping the screen turned on too late.

Our Tips for Staying Awake

Grab some snacks

Try to choose some foods that you naturally need in order to feel energized, such as eggs, avocado, whole grains, and nuts. Make healthy snacks part of your desk drawer. Sometimes we're just hungry and don't realize it. Many people forget to eat every two hours when they are busy. Make an effort to grab a snack every two or three hours using your smartphone to stop falling asleep at work.

Adjust your posture

Your body slumps down into your chair as you fall asleep. However, you can do wonders by sitting up straight by making a conscious effort to avoid falling asleep at work. Slouchers report feeling less energetic and less enthusiastic when they sit up straight. Perhaps you should consider whether a standing desk wouldn't be disruptive to your office based on your needs.

Drink water

It may be dehydration rather than hunger that is the problem. Keep a bottle of reusable water with you at work. Refilling it as soon as you rise from your desk is what to do when falling asleep at work. Our alertness can often be improved by drinking a tall glass of water. According to studies, exercise dehydrates you and affects your eyesight and motor skills. Getting focused may be as easy as downing a glass of water if you are feeling particularly unfocused.

Take up some exercises

An easier solution is to start with some simpler standing desk exercises that you can do, like your work or take a short break. However, we recommend challenging yourself to learn how to replenish energy by making your exercise routine. You could use the treadmill, yoga, jogging, or even sign up at your local gym, lockdown restrictions permitting.

Take up an activity

You may simply take active breaks to avoid falling asleep at work rather than sitting in the break room throughout the day if exercise is impossible at work. If you need to keep the blood flowing, taking a walk around the building may suffice.

Take a walk

Getting fresh air and moving your body is beneficial before beginning work. In the early morning, you will become especially alert if you go for a walk.

Take a quick nap

Sleep if you are too tired to complete a project or go to a meeting but must still do those tasks. You should set the alarm so that you don't miss important meetings or work and avoid falling asleep at work. Napping helps you be alert during the day. This is an especially important tip if you work shifts or alternate between odd and even hours. You can boost your alertness and retention throughout your work shift by napping for a few minutes before work. Certain sleeping office chair models recline far enough so you can nap in them.

Try active sitting

Add an ergonomic stool to your desk setup and take advantage of active sitting. It is one way to keep you mentally alert, correct your posture, and reduce fatigue. An active sitting stool looks like any regular barstool, and only the height is adjusted to fit desks instead. It does have a backrest, but you can adjust the height of one to suit the desktop.