How to Stay Awake After a Dinner at Night

The reasons for evening drowsiness vary among people, from health issues to simple sleep deprivation. Whatever the cause, you may have difficulty with drowsiness after eating dinner in the late afternoon or early evening. Because going to sleep too early can disrupt your overnight sleep schedule, it is probably a good idea to stay awake after a dinner. Utilize various techniques for waking yourself up after eating.

Instructions

• 1

  Experiment with eating different foods to see if you feel less drowsy. For example, increasing your protein and fat consumption and decreasing your carbohydrate consumption may give you more energy. Pay attention to how you feel after changing your menu for your evening meal, and if you feel less sleepy after eating different foods, try to repeat those food choices regularly for your evening meal.

• 2

  Stay mentally alert after eating. Keep your mind occupied with an activity that requires thinking. Work on word puzzles, read a book, write a letter, have a conversation, do homework or work on a hobby such as sewing or scrapbooking.

• 3

  Take a walk or perform some other type of mild exercise. Increasing your heart rate and blood flow after eating can aid in digestion and it can keep you from becoming drowsy.

• 4

  Perform housework after eating. Stay on your feet doing laundry, washing dishes, straightening the house, dusting or vacuuming. Continue moving around to fight sleepiness.

• 5

  Take an invigorating shower to wake yourself up. Use a body wash with an invigorating scent and rub energizing lotion into your skin after you finish in the shower.

• 6

  Avoid passive activities that will put you to sleep. For instance, sitting in a warm room with dim lights and quiet noises will lead you to feel sleepy, or sitting in a comfortable chair, passively watching television or listening to music may make you feel drowsy.