What to do about tiredness in the office?

You probably know the feeling: You're at the office and your eyelids feel like lead. At the same time, you can't shake the feeling that you can't fight your sleepiness. Let's be honest: this state can be quite exhausting. But what can you do about tiredness in the office? The good news is that you can do something about it! In this article, we reveal 8 useful tips on how to stay full of energy on long working days.

Avoid the consequences: What to do about tiredness in the office?

Tiredness - a feeling of sleepiness, exhaustion and listlessness - is something most of us are probably all too familiar with. But what many people often don't realize is that tiredness in the office has consequences. First and foremost, sleepiness at work naturally has a direct impact on performance. When the desire for sleep takes over, concentration is limited and the frequency of errors increases. Our work results therefore suffer from our tiredness in the office.

But that's not all: our tiredness also has a negative impact on the working atmosphere. This is because sleepiness can cause negative emotional states. For example, we are more impatient, less decisive, more irritable and more reserved - all of which are not good prerequisites for successful interpersonal interaction at work.

So the question naturally remains: what can we do about tiredness in the office to avoid all these consequences?

What can help combat tiredness in the office? 8 useful tips

There are a whole range of ways to combat sleepiness in the workplace. Below we give you 8 effective tips to combat tiredness in the office.

1. overcome office fatigue with a healthy sleep routine

The best way to combat tiredness in the office is to have a healthy sleep routine. In other words: first and foremost, you should make sure that you get enough sleep to start the next day refreshed. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep, but everyone's need for sleep is different. Therefore, find out how much sleep you personally need.

A good sleep routine also means that you always go to bed at around the same time and get up at the same time. This will help you develop a good sleep-wake rhythm, which will not only give you better sleep, but also make you much more rested and productive during the day.

What to do about tiredness in the office? Here are a few tips for a healthy sleep routine:

• Make sure your surroundings are as dark and cool as possible (approx. 16 °C).
• Avoid hard-to-digest meals directly before going to bed.
• Deliberately avoid stimulant drinks (e.g. coffee, black tea) in the evening.
• Ban all devices that emit blue light (e.g. smartphones) from your bedroom - blue light is considered a wakefulness inducer that impairs the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
• Bring your sleep and work rhythms into harmony if you are allowed to organize your working hours freely. For example, if you work more productively in the morning, it's best to head to the office earlier. If, on the other hand, you don't experience a peak in performance until later in the day, delay your start time accordingly.

2. drink plenty of water as a quick fix for tiredness in the office

Water is an essential component of the human body. Therefore, sufficient water intake is crucial for staying alert throughout the day. Dehydration, on the other hand, can trigger other symptoms such as headaches and dizziness in addition to tiredness.

Want to overcome your tiredness in the office? Then make sure you drink plenty of water in the office. Depending on your age, this is 30-40 ml per kilo of body weight. As an aid, you can drink one glass per hour, for example - this is completely sufficient. If you tend to forget to drink regularly, it's best to put a jug of water with the recommended daily amount next to you on your desk as a reminder.

3. healthy eating as a remedy for tiredness in the office

Tired in the office? Then unhealthy eating habits may be the cause. Refined carbohydrates such as pasta, white bread and sugar in particular can be responsible for making us feel sleepy at work. Although our blood sugar levels rise rapidly when we eat these foods, sooner or later we hit a low that makes us feel tired.

As good as pasta and the like taste in the lunch break, avoid refined carbohydrates during the working day and instead opt for a light and balanced diet with lots of vitamins:

• Start the day with a healthy breakfast (e.g. high-fiber muesli, oven-fresh wholemeal bread, sweet fruit).
• Snack healthily by nibbling on vitamin-rich vegetable sticks and energizing nuts to stave off hunger between meals.
• Treat yourself to a nutritious lunch - e.g. fish (contains valuable omega-3 fatty acids) with a vegetable side dish.

4. regular exercise to combat tiredness at work

Another tip to combat tiredness in the office is regular exercise at work. After all, if you sit for eight hours a day and stare at the screen in front of you non-stop, sooner or later you will feel sleepy. Movement at your desk, on the other hand, can really get your circulation going and put an abrupt end to tiredness.

An ergonomic workstation with an electrically height-adjustable desk is also ideal for keeping you moving around the office. The height of the desk can be easily adjusted at the touch of a button, so you can not only work sitting down, but also standing up at any time.

In addition to targeted movement breaks, it is also worth carrying out certain office tasks while walking. For example, walking around the room to make a phone call, walking to the printer or visiting your colleagues at their desks will also get you moving.

5What to do about tiredness in the office? Air it out!

Tiredness in the office: what else helps? Regular ventilation is also a good tip. This is because the oxygen content in the air decreases with every new breath, while the carbon dioxide content continues to increase. What remains is the typical office smell that we are all familiar with. The following applies: Stuffy air naturally develops more quickly in multi-person offices than in individual offices.

Whether you work alone or with others in a room, you should open the window every few hours to let in fresh oxygen. You'll see: You're sure to feel much fresher and more alert afterwards. But be careful: Be considerate of your colleagues sitting right next to the window - it can quickly get cold in this area, especially in winter. You can find out more about the indoor climate in offices and useful tips in our blog post about the right temperature at work.

6. power napping to combat tiredness in the office

Power napping - a short 15-20 minute afternoon nap - is already an integral part of everyday life in many companies. After all, a short nap in the middle of the working day has a number of positive effects on the second half of the day: you generally feel more rested, in a better mood and much more relaxed.

So if your workplace gives you the opportunity to get some sleep after lunch, you should definitely take it. But don't forget to set an alarm clock - because if you sleep too long, you're not only wasting your working time, but your circulation is also in the basement.

7. combat tiredness in the office with good lighting

Light has a significant influence on how awake we feel during the day. The reason: light reduces the production of melatonin, so we are much more alert in rooms flooded with light than in darkened rooms. Your workplace in the office should therefore be as bright as possible so that your performance is not impaired by poor lighting conditions.

What to do about tiredness in the office? In addition to daylight, your workplace should be equipped with artificial light sources - ideally with a high blue light component. Which lamps are used here is of secondary importance. The most important thing is that your workplace is evenly lit - this is not only crucial in the office, but also one of five useful tips for your home office.

8. banish tiredness in the office with relaxing breaks

An occasional chat with work colleagues also helps to combat tiredness in the office. Whether it's during your lunch break or over a quick afternoon coffee, chatting with others helps you to clear your head and recharge your batteries for the rest of the working day. But you benefit twice over: regular chats naturally also strengthen your relationships with your work colleagues.

If you don't feel like chatting at the moment, but do feel like taking a break, there are of course other ways you can combat your tiredness in the office. For example, listen to upbeat music or do short meditation exercises to feel fresh and alert again.

What to do about tiredness in the office? These tips will help!

Do you often feel sleepy at work? And you're starting to wonder: What to do about tiredness in the office? Don't worry, with our 8 useful tips you're sure to master your working day full of new energy! Just try them out and find your own personal way to combat sleepiness, listlessness and fatigue in the office. Goodbye, tiredness!

Frequently asked questions

What can you do quickly to combat tiredness?

There are a number of things you can do to combat tiredness - a healthy lifestyle is of course an essential prerequisite. Regular exercise in the fresh air, sufficient daily water intake, a balanced diet and a healthy sleep routine are ways to get your circulation going and successfully overcome tiredness.

How do you stay awake in the office?

What to do about tiredness in the office? There are also a number of things that can help combat sleepiness in the workplace. In addition to a healthy lifestyle, the working atmosphere also plays a decisive role. Bright, well-ventilated and pleasantly tempered rooms are important for getting through the day as alert as possible.

Why does office work make you tired?

There are many causes of tiredness in the office. For example, stuffy air, poor lighting conditions, disturbing noises, a lack of ergonomic workstations or a lack of movement can make you feel sleepy.

What am I missing if I am always tired?

Tiredness is usually always a sign that the body is missing something crucial. This can be various things: sleep, oxygen, water, certain nutrients or exercise. This is why power napping, airing out, drinking water, eating healthily and taking exercise breaks can actively counteract tiredness.