Executive Health : “Do you suffer from office fatigue due to lack of sleep?”

Office fatigue due to lack of sleep can seriously affect your performance and productivity.

Sleep deprivation can often result in impaired mental ability, making you lose focus and make poor decisions that can even cost you your job. New from theMarketingblog : Executive Health

The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep for adults. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you probably experience its effects while at work. You become tired easily, you can’t quite grasp what a report is telling you, you call the wrong team or forget to save a project in its proper folder. You feel your eyelids getting heavy and maybe end up slumped over your desk.

Many organizations have recognized the importance of rest for workers, designating spaces where tired employees can take a power nap to recharge themselves. If your workplace doesn’t have such, you can take a quick nap during your lunch break. If that’s not enough, follow these tips to keep drowsiness and fatigue away for the rest of the day or you can try a bit of exercise such as Zumba Calories Burned.

Practice good posture. If you work at a desk, sit up straight and avoid slouching. Make sure your arms are adequately supported. It would also be great if your office is equipped with ergonomic equipment such as ergonomic office chairs and anti-glare screens for computers, which are designed to reduce physical strains. If it’s not, there’s no harm in making a request to HR – it’s for employees’ health and productivity, after all.

Take scheduled breaks and stretch. Take a break every couple of hours and stand up to stretch your legs, back and arms. Gently rotate your head and turn your neck from left to right then side to side.

Get moving. If you can, take a short walk outside to get some fresh air and improve blood circulation. If going outside isn’t doable, you can brisk-walk down the hall, take the steps up to another floor (and go for a bathroom break there).

Drink more water. Mild dehydration can reduce blood flow, slow down your cognitive abilities and make you feel tired. Instead of reaching for another cup of coffee, try drinking water instead.

Consider a standing desk. There are some tasks such as checking emails or reading reports that you can do while standing up. On your next office meeting, bring up the subject of “standing” workstations or adjustable desks so employees can have the option of working while standing. Working in a standing position also burns more calories!

Avoid skipping meals. Make time for breakfast, lunch and a light dinner. A fiber-rich breakfast will provide you with the fuel you need to power through the morning. For lunch, avoid eating too much. Nutritionists say that when you eat a big lunch, your energy gets spent digesting your meal, making you sluggish mid-afternoon.

Go for a balanced meal with healthy fats, protein and healthy carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread. You can also snack on fruit, carrots and almonds to keep your energy levels up.

These are just some of the things you can do to avoid getting tired easily while on the job.

Of course, the best thing to do is to actually get adequate rest at the end of the day, so take a look at your daily schedule and tweak a few things so you can achieve at least 7 hours of sleep every night.