Man why do I eat when I’m bored and trying to stay awake? There’s got to be some alternatives to this, right???
So here’s how the story goes, and maybe you can relate.
It’s 10:42 PM… Or 2242. I ate my dinner about 5:30 PM: some leftover Whole30 beef stew. We went on a call, and have been sitting in the parking lot doing nothing ever since we got back. Don’t get off shift until 0200 – 3 1/2 hours from now. I’m trying to stay awake since I’m bored out of my mind. I ate a bag of Doritos which was totally not healthy. I ate some bacon. I ate a Chomps venison stick. Been slowly nibbling away at some trail mix with dark chocolate covered espresso beans in it. But it’s got me thinking…
WHYYYY do we eat when we’re bored/sleepy? I do it when I’m up late watching tv too.
Short answer: dopamine! It’s the excitement chemical in our brains. We perceive a reward when we trigger that neurotransmitter.
Sooooo. What do we (I) do about it?
1. I kinda like to get up and go for a walk. If a 15 min walk doesn’t cure it, the cold outside sure does!! I get that same endorphin rush from the walk that I do from the junk food I reach for (the pleasure chemical)
2. Eat more protein & fat. These are SO incredibly satiating. There’s a reason I have the chomps meat sticks and bacon in my lunch bag. They’re not the Cheetos or chocolate I want, but that bacon especially hits my pleasure centers in my brain!
3. Water. I have a giant ½ gallon water bottle with me. I get bored and dislike most flat water, so I bought a sodastream so I can have carbonated water anytime I want. And I use natural flavorings (NOT the soda stream ones that don’t tell you what’s in the bottle!) to add flavor. BONUS: cinnamon cures sweet cravings, so I always make sure that’s in my water too.
So how do you cope with boredom, sleepy munchies?
Want some more tips on curbing the munchies? Send me a message for my top 5 ways to combat the bore!
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