A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Anyone have good tips to fight the drowsies while working? - Z

Posted: Jun 24, 2014

I've had a hard time the past few months with getting drowsy after sitting and working for even an hour. I don't have sleep apnea and do get plenty of sleep at night, so I know that's not the problem. I've tried coffee, tea, diet pop, chewing gum, lots of water, etc. I usually end up resorting to a crunchy snack, which is not the best idea. Anyone have any tricks up their sleeve for staying alert? Thanks in advance!

I listen to music - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Keep it just low enough, sometimes it even gets me in a rhythm and improves my line counts.

BelVita bars, 5 hour energy, B-dots (vitamin B12 that - melts on your tongue)

[ In Reply To ..]
and Provigil, but I have chronic fatigue due to a medical problem. The other stuff works well even without the Provigil. Also eat light, salad, fruit, etc., I feel less tired when I eat that versus something heavy.

Or Tequila ;-) - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

dark chocolate - here

[ In Reply To ..]
dark chocolate is really good for you, too.

maybe slices of apple? that's a crunchy snack :)

Thank you all! I tried something different - Z

[ In Reply To ..]
This afternoon went much better...I used a small desk fan and had it blowing at my face. That seemed to do the trick!! Those were some great suggestions, too. I especially like the dark chocolate one!! =)

For me, much of it is simple boredom. - Keypounder - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Sometimes just getting up and taking a brisk walk around the block helps me a lot. If I'm concurrently working a 2nd, non-MT job, I might log off the MT and switch to that for a while. Or get up and do a quick household chore. Usually anything that gets the blood flowing quickly seems to help. Sometimes all it takes is turning my attention to some upcoming event or activity that I'm excited about. Poring over my plans, or the trip itinerary, or the schedule of events, etc., can get me fired up and awake again.

If that doesn't work, another cup of coffee or a No-Doz can help, though I try not to use it any less than 6 hours before I plan to go to bed. Sugary snacks will perk me up very temporarily, but then there's usually a big falloff of blood sugar not long after, and then the drowsies come back. So if I eat fresh fruit (like the blueberries I'm snacking on right now), it seems to charge me up. Bananas also seem to work wonders for me, as well.

Another trick is taking your oven timer and without looking, turning the dial and setting it to some random time to go off. Then set it down where you can't see how many minutes are left. When it goes off, you'll jump, and so will your adrenaline level!

Fight the drowsies - Turn your head upside down and

[ In Reply To ..]
slap your face. Really! It helps. If you have a treadmill, do a few minutes on a brisk speed.

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