Simple tips to beat the 3pm slump
Do you experience that classic mid-morning or mid-afternoon energy slump? The moment where all you want to do is face plant into your computer keyboard and have a snooze or grab the nearest biscuit tin and devour it. If that sounds familiar, then read on. I’m going to explain why that’s happening and what you can do about it.
These energy fluctuations are often down to imbalanced energy levels or specifically blood sugar levels.
What is blood sugar?
When I mention blood sugar often what springs to mind is diabetes but we all have varying blood sugar (glucose) levels throughout the day. When we eat anything containing carbohydrates or sugar, it gets broken down into glucose molecules, is absorbed in the small intestines, and enters our blood stream for the body to use as our primary source of energy. Blood sugar levels vary throughout the day in response to what we are eating and how stressful our day is.
Whats going wrong?
Ideally, we want our blood sugar levels to stay within a certain range - going not to high and not too low. However, our western diet, which is very carbohydrate and sugar dominant and often sets us up for a ride on what is commonly call the ‘blood sugar rollercoaster’. When we eat something containing sugar or refined carbohydrates (process carbohydrates with little fibre), they are broken down very quickly and enter the blood stream rapidly. This causes a big spike in our energy levels and gives us that short term rush of energy. But what goes up must come down, and what follows is often a big energy low, where our blood sugar levels drop below normal, leaving us craving carbohydrate rich foods and sugar to pick them back up again. We then reach for biscuits, sweets and sugary or carbohydrates dense foods to facilitate this, and so the cycle continues. This perpetual rollercoaster ride can often affect our mood too and give us that hangry feeling. Longer term it may also contribute to weight gain (particularly around our middle) and it can also increase our risk of type 2 diabetes.
But luckily there are some simple things that we can do to help prevent us stepping on the blood sugar roller-coaster. Here are my top tips for consistent energy and beating the 3pm slump:
Protein with each meal or snack – including protein containing foods with our meals and snacks, like meat, fish, eggs, poultry, or our plant-based sources are things like nuts, seeds and legumes, can really help to slow down the digestion and the breakdown of carbohydrates and helps to avoid that quick spike from happening. In practical terms that might mean adding some nuts or seeds, for example, to your porridge in the morning. If you have fruit for a snack then having a small palm sized portion of nuts with that can really help too.
Switch up breakfast – what we eat for breakfast is really important and will determine whether we step onto that blood sugar rollercoaster or not. If you're someone who often opts for sugary cereals or granolas then perhaps switching to lower sugar alternatives and including protein, or trialling something more savoury, perhaps some eggs on some wholemeal toast might help support your energy levels better. I encourage you to experiment with different foods and see what works best for you. Just making simple tweaks to what you already eat can make a huge difference. Like adding nuts or seeds to porridge, which helps to add protein and healthy fats and slow down the breakdown and absorption of those carbohydrates to help sustain your energy levels during the morning. What we ear for breakfast not only has an impact on how we're feeling during the morning, but it can really have an impact in the afternoon too and can dictate what food choices we make during the rest of the day.
Reduce free or added sugar and opt for wholegrains, fruit and vegetables – reducing our free sugar intake (sugars added to foods or meals, or sugars from fruits that have had the cell walls and fibre broken down – i.e. juices) and increasing our fibre intake also helps to slow down the digestion and breakdown of carbohydrates, reducing the risk of energy slumps. Opt for wholegrains, legumes, whole fruit and vegetables and don’t be fooled by unrefined or ‘healthy’ sugar alternatives – they are processed in exactly the same way in our bodies and have the same impact so enjoy these if you like them or the real thing in moderation. Fibre has the added bonus of supporting our gut health too.