We've all been in that situation. It's 1:30 p.m., and everyone in the office is typing as if their lives depended on it. No one is as energetic as when they were in earlier this morning and you are not an exemption to this fact. Honestly speaking, you're tempted to snuggle up somewhere private, turn off the lights, turn down the blinds, and take a short energizing nap. After all, no one would notice that you are missing in action for a few minutes since their own afternoon fatigue may be keeping them busy.

While it's perfectly natural to experience a sugar crash right after lunch, what happens when it lasts all throughout the day, daily?

You must remember that workplace weariness isn't only physiological exhaustion; it's also mental fatigue.

Not only do you lack energy, but you also lack the motivation to even finish your work on time. It can be challenging to remain focused and keep everything in an orderly manner when we're tired like this. It can make you feel nervous, restless, and on the verge of burnout if it lasts for weeks or months despite enough sleep.

At work, anyone can become exhausted. When you're exhausted all the time, it's time to do something about it. Let's investigate what triggers workplace exhaustion and what you can do to avoid being so exhausted all the time at work.

What is the difference between just being sleep deprived to actual workplace exhaustion?

If you're sleepy, you might feel it for a day or so, but after a couple of nights of good sleep, it should go away completely. Meanwhile, exhaustion is more than just lack of sleep and sugar crashes.

So, what exactly is workplace exhaustion?

Workplace exhaustion is a nearly continual condition of weariness that builds over time, lowering your vitality, drive, and attentiveness.

Workplace weariness, like burnout, is a persistent sense of exhaustion that won't disappear. It eventually creeps into other areas of your life, making it more difficult to concentrate, work hard, and even unplug from work.

Can your 9 - 5 desk job exacerbate simple weariness to full-blown workplace fatigue?

Researchers aren't sure why sitting and working on a desk makes us tired, but there are various factors that could contribute to this condition.

Some of these factors such as the change in technology, lifestyles, and workplace culture is reshaping our daily routines and making it very difficult to reinvigorate even on vacation.

In reality, the average American employee spends more hours working per year than their counterparts in other nations in the same business. On 50% of all vacations, the majority of people work at least one hour.

This shift is also influenced by remote operations. Despite the fact that virtual teams claim to be more efficient, they are also more likely to be working longer hours and take shorter days off. Remote workers are also more likely to work without a regular schedule, making it harder to establish a positive work-life balance and avoid the pitfalls of burnout. This isn't to imply that workplace exhaustion is a result of modern working practices. In reality, there is a slew of other components that contribute to our drowsiness regularly. Here are a few examples:

Not enough rest and relaxation

The average person spends more than nine hours each day glued to a monitor. Although we can fault some of it at work, the majority of us also pass our free time with our eyes stubbornly hooked to our smartphone or laptop.

Not only do blue light-emitting devices such as mobile devices and laptop computers worsen the quality of sleep and increase depressive symptoms, anxiousness, and stress, but research shows that being unable to fully detach from work is a major source of constant employment fatigue and even burnout.

There isn't enough restful, rejuvenating sleep

A lack of enough sleep is among the most prevalent (and evident) causes of occupational fatigue.

Current working hours often push us to ignore our natural circadian rhythms, with far more than 53% of professionals reporting that they are sleep deprived daily. If you're simply exhausted at work, a solid night's sleep will usually solve the problem. However, no amount of sleep will make you feel better if you're suffering from work exhaustion.

Defying your energy successions

Throughout the day, we all undergo a succession of energetic ups and downs. This is due to the Circadian rhythm, which is an innate clock that alternates between bouts of attentiveness and sleepiness. Working against this cycle can lead to increased workplace exhaustion, as well as dissatisfaction and stress.

How can you fend off workplace exhaustion?

While working, we all get exhausted. If, on the other hand, the problem is long-term, it's time to consider how to recuperate your energy. Determine the source of your exhaustion first. Then, figure out what option will work much better for your lifestyle.

Find your natural rhythm

You can learn how to work during hours when you're more attentive once you've determined your body's natural circadian cycle. Simply explained, doing deep, focused work while your activity levels are naturally greater is what this entails.

Switch your priority to less-important responsibilities like sending emails and responding to phone calls when your motivation levels have dropped, such as during the midday droop.

During the day, get some moments of pauses

Why not take a rest if you're tired at work? A short break of 15 to 20 minutes of napping can improve alertness and performance Meanwhile prolonged naps, known as slow-wave slumber, are better for decision-making skills.

Taking pauses throughout the day is not only beneficial to your performance and fatigue regulation, but it is also intuitive.

This means that after 90 minutes of work, your body desires a pause to rest and recuperate. Once you've figured out this cycle, you can reap the benefits of it by arranging your downtime so that you're relaxing and recuperating when your body requires it the most.

Set time limitations for yourself at work

Work-life harmony is critical to preventing burnout. Despite this, few people set appropriate boundaries for their working day. Rather, we enable our smartphones and messages to invade our private time, never truly unplugging from work.

Recreational time, on the other hand, helps us become much more innovative, engaged, and efficient the next day, especially when focused on pastimes and other worthwhile pursuits.

Invest in a Standing Desk

As simple as it may look, standing desks can help lessen workplace fatigue.

One typical complaint about standing workstations is that they make daily chores like writing more difficult.

While having to stand for a few minutes each afternoon may take some getting accustomed to, standing desks seem to have had no substantial influence on ordinary office operations. Because standing boosts mood and vitality, having a standing desk is much more likely to help rather than harm performance. Sedentary time should be reduced to promote physical, metabolic, and even psychological well-being. This is why changing your lifestyle to sit less and stand more is so vital.

With FlexiSpot, you can find the best standing desks that can help you boost your energy throughout the day!

Now that you have an idea of how to differentiate simple tiredness from full-blown workplace fatigue, you can now understand your body better. You would not want to be a slave to your own body, right? So, take every chance that you can get towards a lifestyle that would never compromise your health and mind.