Health Tips





Avoiding the mid-morning yawns !

Are you tired of getting the yawns?! Do you find that, about an hour after you get to work, you suddenly get a fit of the yawns; that, suddenly, your brain goes dead and you can't concentrate? Do your eyes want to close and you really just want to put your head on the desk, and drop off for a few minutes? Well, these are the classic symptoms of low blood sugar levels!

You've probably rushed into work a little late and stressed after having battled through the queues and the traffic. You've maybe grabbed a strong coffee and chocolate muffin for breakfast and landed at your desk just in time. Your blood sugar is now charged up dramatically thanks to the adrenalin rush, the caffeine in your coffee, and, of course, the massive dose of refined sugar in your muffin!

So, what does your body do as a response? It tries to moderate this by producing loads of insulin to bring your blood sugar levels down. Having had a dramatic rise in blood sugar, which you experience as a feeling of being charged up and able to deal with things, you then experience the reverse with your brain and body functions suddenly slowing right down! Hence, the yawns and the brain fog.

The trick is to manage your blood sugar and avoid the peaks and troughs of a dramatic blood sugar see-saw. It's quite easy to do, as well!

  • Eat "complex" carbohydrates. Instead of "refined" carbohydrates such as muffins, biscuits, croissants, white breads, go for foods containing complex carbohydrates such as muesli, whole meal cereals, porridge, or brown breads. These take longer to digest and so help to "drip-feed" sugars into your blood stream rather than "force-feeding" it.


  • Always eat some protein with your carbohydrates. Have an egg, some lean bacon, or a piece of omega-3 rich fish such as salmon with your breakfast.This really helps extend the process of digestion, and smooths out your blood sugar levels. In this way, you can ensure that your blood sugar balance starts rising slowly from the time you finish eating, and continues to rise gently throughout the morning, slowly reducing as you approach lunchtime.



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