Energy Drinks At Work: Pitfalls, And What You Can Do Instead

Everyone has days when waking up and getting out of bed seem impossible, and actually accomplishing something at work appears to be reserved for a parallel universe. All-day fatigue can be due to your lifestyle, health issues, or simply bad luck. You may be coming down with the flu, could simply be going to bed too late, might have a newborn, or are dealing chronic pain. 

What do you do when these days hit — or, if you're really unlucky, when every day is an all-day fatigue day? How do you still get your work done? 

Some people simply force themselves through the day without the assistance of anything special. Others, especially those whose performance depends on successfully interacting with other humans, are more likely to grab some stimulants to make themselves feel better. Coffee is the most well-known and the most prevalent of these, but some people use certain teas, or cola, or energy drinks instead.

How Energy Drinks Work

Energy drinks are supposed to give users an immediate energy boost, something that should help them function better for a short duration of time. Three key ingredients accomplish this: caffeine, sugar, and suggestion. Other ingredients may play a role in boosting energy as well, or they may primarily be present to influence the drink's taste.

Caffeine and sugar speak for themselves. These things do give you additional energy, but we're talking about a short-term aid here, not something that will keep you going all through the day. The power of suggestion, or the placebo effect, may play a very important role in how energy drinks work on some users as well. Despite that, the effects of a single energy drink are bound to wear off sooner rather than later. Then, you may want another one. What happens if you become dependent on energy drinks to remain productive at work?

A Caffeine Overdose

Though safe amounts of caffeine vary from person to person and are dependent on different factors, the general consensus is that you're OK if you don't consume more than 200 to 300 mg a day. Possible symptoms of a caffeine overdose, which can certainly happen if you use a lot of energy drinks, are:

• Increased thirst (which may lead you to drink more energy drinks rather than the water you really need!)
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Irritability
• Sleep problems
• And even a fever

A severe caffeine overdose has even more serious symptoms that could land you in hospital. They include an irregular heartbeat, breathing difficulties, vomiting, chest pain, muscle spasms, and even confusion and hallucinations. Active charcoal, laxatives, and pumping the stomach are possible treatments. 

See Also: Doctors Warn About Energy Drink Risks, But Americans Are Chugging Them Like Never Before

Too Much Sugar

Consuming a sugary drink, including energy drinks, does make your blood sugar levels go up. This can provide you with a short-term energy boost. When that energy runs out, however, you'll come crashing down — leaving you more fatigued than you were before your sugar spree. 

Energy Boosters That Help You Get Through Your Workday More Healthily

What do you do instead of relying on energy drinks when you are exhausted and not sure you can make it all the way through your day? To start with, commit yourself to a healthier approach. If you want caffeine, it's fine to start the day with a cup of coffee, but don't have more than two or three a day. Rather than using sugar as your fuel, start the day with a boiled egg, a protein shake, or some nuts. When you feel you need an extra boost during the day, look towards protein rather than sugar. 

Implementing a healthier dietary regime is definitely going to make you feel better in the long-term, and regular exercise is important too. Even if you do those things, there will be days when you can't seem to function right. If every day is an all-day fatigue day, please see your doctor if you haven't been diagnosed with something that does that to you already. These tips aren't going to cure more serious problems. They're just meant to enable you to be productive enough to prevent you from getting fired. 

Optimize Your Work Space

Spending all day in a stuffy office environment is going to make you more tired than you might otherwise be, especially if your workplace is also deficient in natural light and you can't open any windows. Some people are also influenced by the colors of their work space, while the productivity of others can be impacted by interior design.

Of course, there's a good chance you won't be able to change the color of your work space, or its interior. You may still be able to make small changes that have a big impact. Your productivity might be boosted if you can look at some nature — any nature — during the day. Get some plants, even cacti, or see if you can sit in front of a window looking out over some trees. Photographs you enjoy looking at, or some small art, may be beneficial too.

If you're able, take short breaks that allow you some fresh air throughout the day. This will boost your energy as well. Don't sit next to coworkers that drag you down with personal stories or anything else that distracts you. 

Short Bursts Of Exercise

Short bursts of exercise will energize you to an extent, though this may seem counter-intuitive. Get up and move throughout the day. Anything counts. Do 10 jumping jacks, push-ups, or ab crunches, or else walk up and down the stairs for a while. Make coffee for your colleagues, go remind your employees about that meeting tomorrow, or do anything else that gets your body moving. It will help.

See Also: Children And Teenagers Should Never Drink Energy Drinks, Doctors Say

Prioritize

We all have optimum-activity time windows during the day. For some, that's first thing in the morning while for others it can be just before lunch or even in the late afternoon or early evening. If you're not sure when you work best, take the time to figure it out.

Shutting distractions, like Facebook and email, off can be incredibly important to some people. If your job is creative, however, you may actually benefit from some distractions, like going for a short walk or browsing the web. This is when your brain can go into what is called diffuse mode, and it can bring parts of the puzzle that weren't clear when you were attempting to focus together. That way, you may be much more productive when you do refocus.