Falling Asleep

[lankeela]

I've been to a training seminar today with a talk lasting about two hours. After about half an hour I find myself unable to keep my eyes open, and start fidgetting and trying desperately to keep awake - I am sure at one point I nearly fell off my chair into the person next to me. This has been happening for the past few years but got worse - is there anything that would help me stay awake? Is there anything like a spray that would give me a quick boost?

[Zacs-Master]

Coffee?

[lankeela]

The one thing I cannot stand! Can't even abide the smell let alone the taste!

[andy-hughes]

Try digging your nails into your palms, or gently biting your tongue.

[Zacs-Master]

Red bull or lucozade?

[lankeela]

Just realised I have been drinking a lot of caffeine free coke lately, and also take my own decaf teabags whenever I go somewhere there is likely to be tea served. Don't suppose that is helping?

[lankeela]

Does Red Bull do that? What does it taste like? I do like Lucozade but don't drink it as much as its so fattening.

[elliemay1]

Have you checked your pulse rate?

[lankeela]

No not done anything like that - didn't occur to me it could be something medical.

[Buenchico]

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/263762956

(Also available on other supermarkets, as well as Superdrug, Boots and most pharmacies).

[Buenchico]

It might be worth getting yourself checked out by your GP. Tiredness can be a symptom of all sorts of things:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tiredness-and-fatigue/

See also here:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/self-help-tips-to-fight-fatigue/

[1ozzy]

To quote JJ Cale,,

If your day is gone, and you want to ride on, cocaine
Don't forget this fact, you can't get it back, cocaine

[Hopkirk]

It's the trainer's fault for being boring.

[rowanwitch]

Old fashioned smelling salts, or lemon or peppermint essential oil However if it keeps happening it may be post viral fatigue, did you have Covid recently, or could you have had it without realising/testing.
Vit D deficiency can cause fatigue too, a simple blood test could eliminate that as a possibility.
Nothing wrong with a little bit of caffeine, maybe just have normal tea or coffee when you need to be alert. You won't need to guzzle the stuff if you are not a regular drinker of it.
I avoid energy drinks Pepsi max is my caffeine hit of choice but even that I ration these days.

[barry1010]

Lucozade has a lot less sugar than it used to, it is no longer suitable for diabetics with low blood sugar

[barry1010]

Does this happen in other situations? Could you been eating too many carbs in a short space of time?

[douglas9401]

Get to your bed earlier.

[Old_Geezer]

Years ago I used to use these, https://www.proplus.co.uk/ they're caffeine without the coffee.

[retrocop]

Nurse retrocop has recently suggested I take a blood test to check out my thyroid. After 30 years of shift work I used to have great difficulty in getting up for a 6am shift. 26 years later I am up about 5 am for no reason. I can stay awake and go to bed at midnight. Yesterday my wife was out most of the day and came home to find me comatose slumped over the dining table. Frightened the hell out of her. It was then she suggested a thyroid check.

[Peter Pedant]

yeah Lankiel, I find that with AB - ter daah !
go to more interesting lectures?

caffeine may - or a high caffeine drink ( but costs)

the good old days of giving med students pick-me-ups is gone ( fifties) . they all got addicted to amphet, sort of
( coz their books were so boring see)

[maggiebee]

A two hour training seminar is too long to concentrate. Would suggest it should have been split into two hour long sessions with a comfort break to get a drink, stretch your legs etc.

From a training manual I used:
"Some studies suggest that humans operate in alertness cycle of 90 minutes, after which, we need a 15-minute break. However, our ability to focus might be even shorter than 90 minutes — probably more like 30-50 minutes, depending upon the nature of task."