My brain usually goes in to "prepare to shut-down" mode every day at about 3:30pm (having started work at ~9am). I tend to have slow mornings, and stay pretty busy/head-down for the last half of that time.
The funny thing is, it doesn't really matter if I was busy working on hard technical challenges all day, or just reading articles/browsing the web; my brain shuts down the same time regardless.
"The 3pm crash" is well documented and extremely common. Personally, I set up my schedule so I am not trying to do intellectual work between 3 and 4. Eat a snack, walk to the Starbucks down the street, go to the gym, take a boring meeting - anything, and then resume programming when my body is ready (usually around 4/4:30).
The Spanish have siestas.
There is nothing wrong with you - this is human nature. It's in the scientific literature, TV commercials for energy bars, and even some European cultural identities.
The Chinese also practice the afternoon nap. Lunch break at work in China is two hours: one for eating, one for sleeping. White-collar workers all get this long of a break. As for blue-collar, I don't know if factory workers do, but it certainly applies to shop owners, street vendors, and many moped/tricycle drivers.
Many people, especially shopkeepers and associates, sleep right at work! More than once I headed down to the cellphone store to recharge my minutes, only to remember the time when I found folks sleeping at the counter. Nothing for it but to return a little later.
Another popular way to sleep is to stretch out atop the seat and handlebars of one's e-bike (electric moped). Must be more comfortable than it looks.
I also habitually got the 3/3:30 shutdown until I played with diet and times.
Living in Southern Europe and working from home, my meal times vary but they'd be considered late for US standards (with the exception of breakfast). A late lunch (around 3PM) seems to do away with the mid-afternoon shutdown.
Also, at the start of the year, I changed from a healthy-leaning diet to one that consists almost entirely of muesli, lean meat, brown rice, fruits & veggies, eggs, trail mix, rice cakes, water, juice, and things of the like. I even switched to wine (instead of beer), whenever possible.
Actually, I find the most effective means to not fall asleep after lunch is to just not eat lunch. When and if I do, I'm intolerably tired for the afternoon.
It's your body's natural response to having been fed - conserve energy until the next hunt.
> "It's your body's natural response to having been fed - conserve energy until the next hunt."
I think it's more likely to be due to the energy it takes to break down food (meaning you have less free energy) that causes people to feel sluggish after a large meal.
I was going to suggest the same. The "prepare-to-shutdown" brain mode could well be that more blood is flowing to the stomach (and thus less to the brain) after a heavy meal.
Yeah, if you're consistently crashing after lunch, you should probably have your blood sugar checked. High blood sugar will make you sleepy and brain foggy and crave a nap. The earlier you catch diabetes, the easier it is to prevent complications in the future by modifying your diet to include less sugar.
Unfortunately, I don't. I tried many different diets, but they either didn't work, or weren't sustainable. I settled on two rules, lost 50+ lbs, and have been able to sustain it for a few years now. My rules are (1) don't overeat, and (2) don't eat processed foods.
It took a few months before I figured out what my portions were, since I don't feel full until about 15-20 minutes after I am. By the time I knew how much I needed to eat in one sitting, I'd become used to eating that amount, so it was a breeze.
I do eat whatever I want, with the exception of processed foods. If I can't make it at home with whole ingredients, I'll likely not eat it. I do cheat every so often, but not much, and not a large amount (I love a box of Raisinettes during a movie.)
As for not being able to think straight after lunch, I used to get that way when I'd eat too much. I used to love feeling full, but it would definitely affect brain function. Now, I get ill when I overeat. I also try to eat a high protein, high fiber breakfast, because it seems to get me further through the day than anything else (I eat a small late lunch).
How did you figure out your personal portion sizes? Just approximation (ex: felt too full after 3 eggs, but just right after 2)?
I read plenty of literature on estimating the dietary recommended portion sizes in food, but nothing on how much food I personally should eat in a sitting.
Funny you should use eggs as an example. I do feel too full after 3 eggs, but just right after 2. Unless I'm eating just eggs, in which case 3 is just right. Or unless I'm making an omelette, which is almost impossible with just two eggs. In that case, my dog gets a good part of one of those eggs.
As I say, it did take a few months. I also needed to eat a little slower - I was a fast eater of big meals. Mostly just experimentation and willpower - you have to get used to waiting to feel full. I go by the two fist rule: your stomach's about as big as your two fists put together.
My family also likes to go out to eat a lot. I ask for a box as soon as the food comes, and put half of the food in it. I used to finish the other half, but now I'll usually end up adding a bit to the to-go, and making two meals out of that later. If I'm by myself, I usually just order an appetizer (I do find myself eating more of just one type of dish per meal). If I go with my family, I'm ordering a meal, because, hey, free food!
I used to get the afternoon doldrums. This stopped when I cleaned up my diet (little in the way of refined carbs, mostly no sugar, higher protein, more vegetables) and began regular exercise (crossfit). Now, I may get an afternoon slowdown once every few months (usually from not enough sleep).
I heard a nutritionist on NPR say a little more protein at breakfast will cure the 3-5pm brain fog. It's worked for me. I also stopped eating sugar I think that's helped too.
The funny thing is, it doesn't really matter if I was busy working on hard technical challenges all day, or just reading articles/browsing the web; my brain shuts down the same time regardless.