Ocean Companies Safety Tip of the Week – Battling the Dreaded Drowsiness at Work
Battling the Dreaded Drowsiness at Work
If you find you are constantly tired at work, maybe you should stop and figure out what is causing the fatigue. Knowing what causes your nodding off and taking care of it before it hampers your work day could save you unnecessary stress and possibly disciplinary actions. There are many reasons for being tired at work, some are medical reasons, and others are self-induced. The following reasons could cause a nearly comatose employee and are sometimes the result of poor judgment:
- Not enough sleep: In order to be well rested, you need 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, anything less will leave you drained the next day.
- Not enough fuel: Either eating too little, or an unbalanced diet. To stimulate your brain, start with a good breakfast. Snack on nuts, fruits, and whole grains to nourish your brain and keep you energized. Citrus fruits are not only healthy; they add an aroma that lingers to keep you relaxed. Avoid over processed foods, refined sugar, alcohol, too much salt, foods high in saturated fats, and tobacco.
- Caffeine overload: Drinking too much coffee or energy drinks or drinking them too late in the day. Go ahead and have your morning cup of java or tea, maybe even 2 cups, but caffeine is addicting and too much can create more problems than it fixes. If you crave a hot drink in the afternoon, try a rejuvenating cup of herbal tea. Try a tea with a blend of your favorite fruit or mint. If you feel you cannot forego the caffeine, have a nice green tea.
- Dehydration: Most people do not drink enough water. Tea, coffee, colas, energy drinks, and alcohol are all diuretic drinks and all force your kidneys to go on excreting water even if you are becoming dehydrated. This is one of the most harmful things for your body. Dehydration in its early stages is not always noticeable. It may make you thirsty, but if you then consume more diuretic drinks you will simply stay dehydrated. To stay hydrated, drink your water! Keep a small water bottle at your desk and refill it several times a day.
- Not enough, or too much exercise: Sitting at a desk all day and then going home to sit at another computer, or a television, is what I see most of my friends doing. Up until recently I, too, have been guilty of this. I know there are people out there who exercise too much, but other than my Zumba instructor, I don’t know anyone!
These things are going to happen. You can follow the recommendations, but eventually, you will come to work tired, or start to lose steam as the day wears on. Many times I hear either my 20 something or 60 something co-workers walk into the office and ask if the coffee is fresh. I have researched and found some things to help keep you (and me) a little more focused during the work day.
- Do the worst first. I say it; I need to do it more. Try tackling the hard things while you’re still fresh and deal with the easier things later in the day.
- During your break, go for a brisk walk, weather permitting, do it outside. Get your heart rate up and get your blood pumping! Sitting in a warm, stuffy office with a comfy chair, hearing the murmur of people talking, and staring at a computer screen can put most people to sleep.
- If you can’t take time away from your desk, stretch your arms, neck, legs, toes, back and hands at your desk. Grab a good sized book and do some arm curls.
- Take a break to splash cold water on your face or take a cold beverage and run it over your neck and face. The cold will help revive you immediately.
- Take deep breaths. Breathe deep into your stomach instead of just the top half of your lungs. Do this every time you feel yourself slipping away and it will help bring your mind back.
- Turn on a cooling fan. If nothing else you will shiver yourself awake.
- Instead of focusing on how your job “sucks”, focus on how your job benefits others. Think of the positive.
- Create both professional and personal goals and write them down. Refresh them as you accomplish your goals, because feeling positive about your business and personal accomplishments goes a long way in keeping you motivated throughout the day.
- De-clutter your desk. It can cause visual stress. Cleaning even a small area can be energizing.
If you are tired all the time and cannot claim any of the things we have already mentioned, you should contact your doctor and have a physical. Here are just a few of the more common medical reasons for fatigue:
- Sleep apnea: Almost all people who have sleep apnea snore loudly, but not all people who snore have sleep apnea. Another symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness. Many people actually have short periods of time when they stop breathing. This can happen several times per hour.
- Anemia: Some symptoms of low iron are: being easily fatigued: unusually rapid heartbeat, particularly with exercise; shortness of breathe and headache, particularly with exercise; difficulty concentrating; dizziness; pale skin; and leg cramps.
- Undetected infections: Many kinds of infections will cause fatigue, especially if they go undetected for a long period of time. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disease that is not relieved by rest, and is thought to have an infectious basis.
- Diabetes: Type 2 Diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Other symptoms than fatigue are: infections or sores that heal slowly, hunger, increased thirst, increased urination, blurred vision.
- Depression: Depression is a very real disease and should be taken seriously. Depression and fatigue may fuel each other in a vicious cycle that makes it had to tell where one begins and the other ends.
- Hypothyroidism or slow thyroid: This is when the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone.
- Heart disease: Some of the symptoms of Anemia are also symptoms of heart disease: shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats, weakness or dizziness, nausea, sweating.
If you are tired all the time and it is not self-induced, get to the doctor. All of the medical reasons we have mentioned for fatigue are treatable and you will feel better for it.
Sources: Wake Up: Simple Tricks to Help You Maintain Focus, Causes of Fatigue and Sleepiness and How to Fight Them, 21 Ways To Wake Up Your Work, How to Stay Awake at Work When You Are Really Tired
– Cherie
