Whether you had a full night of perfect sleep or not, the afternoon crash or slump seems to be almost un-avoidable.

Of course a 10-20 minute power nap is a sure fire way to get your neurons firing again, but if you’re in a cube farm or office setting, that may not be possible.

But there are some other great ways to counteract that empty afternoon energy tank — without a nap or refill of caffeine (which may likely keep you awake later that night — thus starting a horrible cycle).

• Avoid carbs – Carbs or foods high in sugar will only lead to a harder crash later on. Try snacks with higher protein in them, like nuts, peanut butter and crackers or beef jerky.
• Drink plenty of water – Keeping your body hydrated will go along way to keeping you energized. As an aside, coffee and other drinks high in caffeine will dehydrate you faster.
• Turn on the jams – Upbeat music always helps me. Personally I tend to go with something with a strong beat like my Muse station on Pandora.
• Stretch – Get your blood flowing again. Some arm raises, twisting of your back or just standing up and moving will often be enough to help avoid the crash. Also, simply sitting up straight can do wonders to keep your blood flowing from one end of your body to the other. (Divine Caroline has a number of stretches you can do — including a printable guide.)
• Save your most active tasks for mid-afternoon – Unless its urgent, use the afternoon to visit co-workers offices, hand deliver messages and to get up and about. Pouring over financial or legal documents is not typically a good idea when you’re already drained of energy — especially if you want to avoid puddles of drool all over your paperwork.
• Take a walk – Even if you’ve already taken care of your most active duties for the day, get up and walk to the restroom, the water cooler or maybe even up and down a flight of stairs. One thing that helps wake me up better than most anything else is a short walk around the block — especially on a cool, brisk day.

What ways have you found to overcome the afternoon slump?

keep reading...

• 15 simple ways to improve your health in a week
• 5 things to start doing today for a better 2012
• New children’s book focuses on clean water issues