We’ve all been there at one time or another, 3pm rolls around and we haven’t got the motivation to even get up and make a coffee let alone actually work through the pile of paperwork that’s been building up on our desk.

According to a recent study the 3pm energy lull is a big issue, with nine out of ten British office workers claiming to have experienced it, resulting in a total of 24 unproductive days each year.  What’s more, one in five office workers even admitted to falling asleep at their desk, which surely cannot be good for the British economy.

So while it may be tempting to reach for the caffeine or a sugary snack for a quick pick me up, this can actually lead to you feeling worse. Caffeine might give you a temporary hit, but it will ultimately interfere with you falling asleep at night, resulting in you feeling tired at work the next day. It’s a vicious cycle but experts suggest that we try substituting caffeine with water to keep our hydration levels up and swap the sugary snacks with a snack which will raise blood sugar levels slowly and keep them up. Good options are a handful of nuts, oatcakes with peanut butter or raw carrots with hummus.

Another suggestion is taking a brisk 10 minute walk during the day as exercise is proven to boost energy levels. However, we imagine that many directors won’t be too happy about half the office departing at 3pm for a walk, and that’s why the treadmill desk is proving to be a great addition to many offices.    

“Many people are simply confused by the term ‘treadmill desk’ – assuming that you run at the desk, The Treadmill Desk Store Director John Thurgood, states. We like to think of them more as a walking workstation, In fact the treadmill desks are actually marketed as office furniture rather than fitness equipment and are even limited to speeds of no more that 4mph, so they really aren’t designed for running on.”

LifeSpan Treadmill Desks have been popular in the US for years, with many global companies such as google and yahoo counted among clients. Extensive research has been carried out on treadmill desk users, to establish whether the treadmill desk has an impact on their health and cognitive abilities.     

A Canadian study, led by Élise Labonté-LeMoyne found that working at a treadmill desk lead to a subsequent memory and attention boost. 'Our results suggest that the use of a treadmill desk can improve attention and memory after the user has stopped walking,' Labonté-LeMoyne and her co-workers identified. 'It can also improve self-perceived attention, which could lead to increased adherence to this new habit. Behavioral, neurophysiological, and perceptual evidence showed that participants who walked had a short-term increase in memory and attention, indicating that the use of a treadmill desk has a delayed effect. These findings suggest that the treadmill desk, in addition to having health benefits for workers, can also be beneficial for businesses by enhancing workforce performance.' 

LifeSpan treadmill desks are now available to purchase in the UK via www.thetreadmilldeskstore.co.uk so next time your director accuses you of slacking, send them this link!