Feeling sleepy after eating a big meal or after an early morning is normal. While excessive sleepiness does raise alarm, the key to avoid it to understand what is triggering it.

Our bodies have an internal clock, called the circadian rhythm, that controls when we feel sleepy or awake. According to National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), these rhythms include physical and mental changes an organism experiences over 24-hour cycle.

According to John Hopkins Medicine this clock makes us naturally feel a bit sleepy in the early afternoon, usually around 1:00 or 3:00 PM. It's like a built-in dip in our energy levels. Scientists have studied this, and they've found that we're usually most alert in the morning and early evening, with a little dip in between. In some countries, people used to take a short nap in the afternoon to deal with this. It's just a normal part of how our bodies work, but we can learn how to manage it.

Ways You Can Avoid The Afternoon Crash

Everyone gets sleepy in the afternoon sometimes. It's a normal part of life. But you don't have to let it ruin your day. Sometimes, feeling really sleepy during the day can be a sign of a medical problem. If you have a condition like sleep apnea or narcolepsy, or if you take medicine that makes you sleepy, you might feel extra tired in the afternoon. The natural dip in alertness makes it even worse for you. If you're feeling excessively sleepy during the day, it's important to talk to your doctor. They can help you figure out what's going on and find ways to feel more awake and alert. By taking care of your sleep habits, you can make it easier to get through the day without feeling tired all the time. Here are some ways you can avoid the afternoon crash.

Prioritize Sleep

Quality sleep is crucial. Aim for consistent bedtime routines and sufficient hours of rest. Sleep deprivation amplifies afternoon fatigue. A well-rested body manages energy dips more effectively, reducing the severity of the midday slump.

Increase Physical Activity

Even brief movement combats sleepiness. Stand up, stretch, or take a short walk. Physical activity boosts blood flow and oxygen to the brain, enhancing alertness. Regular, light activity throughout the day helps maintain energy levels.

Lighter Lunch Choices

Heavy, carb-loaded lunches divert energy to digestion, inducing sleepiness. Opt for balanced meals with lean protein and vegetables. Lighter meals prevent excessive energy shifts, helping you stay alert and focused in the afternoon.

Caffeine or Hydration

Moderate caffeine intake can temporarily increase alertness. However, avoid excessive amounts, especially later in the day. Hydration is vital; water improves circulation and cognitive function. Choose refreshing drinks to stay hydrated and energized.

Vitamin C Supplementation

Vitamin C's antioxidant properties may reduce fatigue. It combats oxidative stress, a contributor to tiredness. Consider a supplement or vitamin C-rich foods. Remember, individual responses vary, and it's best to consult a healthcare professional.

Shift Mental Focus

When feeling sleepy, change your mental environment. Focus on completed tasks or engage in enjoyable activities. Distraction can redirect your mind, temporarily alleviating the feeling of sleepiness. A brief mental break can provide a needed reset.

Power Naps

Short naps (20-30 minutes) can rejuvenate, but avoid longer naps. They can lead to grogginess. Napping too close to bedtime disrupts nighttime sleep. A brief nap during the early afternoon can restore alertness and improve productivity.

Could daily cocoa extract supplements help fight aging and heart disease? A new study from the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) suggests they might. Researchers from Mass General Brigham found that a key marker for inflammation decreased in people taking a daily cocoa supplement. This finding may help explain how cocoa extract protects the heart.

You may be familiar with cocoa as it is the key ingredient in making one of the most popular sweet treat, chocolate. The debate regarding chocolate and whether it is actually healthy or not is something that has been happening for years. While experts and studies show that dark chocolate can be considered a heart healthy food, the sugar content in it is counterproductive as well.

So, could its supplements be the real answer? The researchers looked into how cocoa extract supplements could help our heart as well as slow down biological aging.

Can Chocolate Lower Risk of Heart Diseases?

In the new study, researchers looked at blood samples from nearly 600 participants in the COSMOS trial. They wanted to see if the cocoa supplement changed five specific markers of inflammation.

They found that one key marker, called hsCRP, dropped significantly in people who took the cocoa supplement. This marker is important because high levels are linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The levels of hsCRP went down by 8.4% each year compared to people who took a placebo (a fake pill).

This finding helps explain an earlier result from the same trial. In 2022 trial done by COSMOS, the researchers found that cocoa extract supplements reduced deaths from cardiovascular disease by an impressive 27%. The researchers believe that by lowering inflammation, the cocoa extract helped protect the participants' hearts.

How Can You Improve Heart Health With Cocoa?

While these results are very promising, the researchers stressed that taking a cocoa supplement is not a magic bullet and can't replace a healthy lifestyle. They also noted some interesting side effects, like a small increase in another immune-related marker, which they plan to study more closely in the future.

The findings highlight the importance of eating a diet rich in plant-based foods, especially those with flavanols. The research team hopes this study encourages people to focus on a "diverse, colorful, plant-based diet" to support their heart health as they age.

Other Health Benefits of Chocolate

Dark chocolate may be good for your heart. Studies suggest that eating it could lower your risk of high blood pressure and may help prevent blood clots. It's also been linked to a reduced risk of other heart-related problems like heart failure, stroke, and high cholesterol. These benefits come from special plant compounds in chocolate called flavanols, which help improve blood flow and reduce inflammation.

While many people hope chocolate is a miracle food, the evidence is still mixed. A review of several studies found that chocolate only had a clear positive effect on triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood. For other health areas like skin health, blood sugar, and mental function, the studies didn't find a significant difference between people who ate chocolate and those who didn't. These studies were generally short, so more research is needed.

Chocolate has been enjoyed for centuries and is rich in healthy compounds. However, the most promising health benefits appear to be for heart health, particularly when consuming moderate amounts of dark chocolate that is rich in flavanols. For other health benefits, we need more long-term studies to know for sure.

If you have recently had a skin cancer screening, your doctor may have suggested adding a daily vitamin B3 supplement to your routine. A new study highlights that nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3 available over the counter, could help reduce the risk of certain skin cancers. But what exactly is this vitamin, and why is it sometimes recommended for skin health? Let’s take a closer look.

What Is Vitamin B3 or Niacinamide?

Niacinamide, also known as nicotinamide, is a form of vitamin B3. It naturally occurs in foods such as meat, fish, milk, eggs, green vegetables, and cereals. In the body, it supports the normal function of fats and sugars while helping to maintain healthy cells. When niacin (another form of vitamin B3) is consumed in larger amounts than needed, it is converted into niacinamide. Unlike niacin, however, niacinamide does not lower cholesterol, as per Healthline.

It’s important not to confuse niacinamide with other related compounds such as niacin, NADH, nicotinamide riboside, inositol nicotinate, or L-tryptophan, as these differ in function and effect.

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What Does Vitamin B3 Do?

For the skin, niacinamide offers several benefits. It strengthens the skin barrier, boosts hydration, calms inflammation and redness, reduces hyperpigmentation and dark spots, minimises pore size, and provides antioxidant protection against free radicals and UV damage. It also supports the production of ceramides and keratin, both of which are essential for skin health.

Beyond skin benefits, niacinamide is used to prevent vitamin B3 deficiency and conditions like pellagra. It has also been studied in relation to acne, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and skin ageing, though scientific evidence is limited for many of these uses.

Vitamin B3 and Skin Cancer Risk

Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, is often recommended by dermatologists for patients who have undergone skin cancer treatment. It has been shown to protect cells against UV-related damage, a major factor in skin cancer development.

A recent study published in JAMA Dermatology followed nearly 34,000 U.S. veterans and found that nicotinamide supplementation was associated with a lower risk of non-melanoma skin cancers in individuals with a prior history of the disease. The greatest benefit was observed among those who began taking the supplement after their first skin cancer diagnosis. Participants who took 500 mg of nicotinamide twice daily for at least a month had a 54% reduced risk of developing another skin cancer compared with those who did not supplement. “I was very surprised at the degree of risk reduction,” said study author Dr. Lee Wheless of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System VA Medical Center.

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Vitamin B3 is also widely used in skincare products such as cleansers, serums, and moisturisers, where it is marketed for improving tone and texture. While these topical applications may offer cosmetic benefits, the study emphasizes that their effect on cancer prevention remains unclear.

Although nicotinamide is available over the counter, experts advise caution. It’s important to inform your doctor and pharmacist before starting supplementation, especially if you already take prescription medicines, herbal remedies, or other vitamins. Because multivitamin products often combine several ingredients, reviewing them with a healthcare provider helps ensure there are no harmful interactions.

A new survey by the RAND research group gives us a fresh look at who's using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and what they're experiencing. As the popularity of weight loss drugs rises, this survey shows what the US adults actually think about its usage, from how many people wish to use it as well as what kind of side effects are they seeing.

The study surveyed 8,793 adults in April and May 2025. It's one of the largest surveys to date on this topic, and it helps us see how popular these drugs have become in the last couple of years.

The most popular drug in this group is semaglutide. It's sold under brand names like Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss. The number of prescriptions for these drugs has more than tripled since 2020.

How Many US Adults Have Used Weight Loss Drugs?

GLP-1 agonists are a type of medicine used for managing blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes and for treating obesity. They work by copying a natural hormone that helps your body release insulin, lowers blood sugar, slows down digestion, and helps you feel full.

This is the reason this GLP-1 antagonists rose into popularity. The fact that the GLP-1 antagonists could assist in weight loss is what made it popular with celebrities, and triggered craze among people. However, that is what we saw on social media. The actual number of people who are using the GLP-1 antagonists may be surprising.

The results show that about 12% of Americans have tried a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound. That number is similar to what was found in a 2023 study, suggesting that the rate of use has stayed steady. Interestingly, the survey also found that an additional 14% of people are interested in trying these drugs in the future.

Who is Taking The Weight Loss Drugs?

The survey results show that GLP-1 drugs are most popular among people aged 50 to 64. In this group, almost 19% of people have tried one. When you break it down further by gender, the numbers are even more striking. The highest usage rate was found in women aged 50 to 64, with one in five having used a GLP-1 drug.

While women generally use these drugs more than men, this isn't true for all age groups. For example, among those aged 30 to 49, women are more than twice as likely as men to have used a GLP-1 drug. However, in people 65 and older, men actually have a slightly higher usage rate than women.

Common Ozempic Side Effects

The survey also asked people who have used GLP-1 drugs about the side effects they experienced. The most common ones were related to digestion. Over half of the users (52%) reported nausea, and about a third of users (34%) reported diarrhea.

Another common side effect was vomiting, which was reported by about 20% of users. A smaller number of people, about 9%, reported having a hollowed-out look on their face, sometimes called "Ozempic face." The good news is that most people who had side effects said they were mild and not serious.

Who Is More Likely To Use Ozempic For Weight Loss?

While the data shows that women generally use GLP-1 agonists more than men, there are notable variations by age. Among those aged 65 and older, men have a slightly higher usage rate. However, women between the ages of 30 and 49 are more than twice as likely to have used a GLP-1 agonist as their male peers.

Use is highest among adults aged 50 to 64. In this group, one in five women (20%) reported having ever used a GLP-1 agonist, the highest rate among all demographic groups.