Maybe it’s the mid-morning coffee letdown. Could be the post-lunch afternoon swoon. But whenever it happens, workers across the country often find themselves struggling to keep their eyes open — and their nose from nose-diving into the keyboard.

What’s the latest cure scientists are touting? Give in to the feeling and grab a few winks.

Right. Sleep at my desk, you’re thinking.

But what about the so-called tried-and-true suggestions?

• Get up and take a walk
• Fill a fresh cup of coffee, and/or
• Stop eating such heavy breakfasts or lunches

For some people, that might do the trick. But for other sleep-challenged employees, these techniques don’t have the power anymore (or never did) to re-start the thinking process and chase the Sandman back into the darkness.

The next time you feel yourself slipping into the Land of Nod, you might want to consider trying something a little different: Cuddle up in your cubicle and grab 20 minutes or so of shut-eye.

A recent study weighed the benefits and drawbacks of:

• spending 90 more minutes in bed each morning
• sucking up about 150 mg of caffeine, and
• catching a quick, 20-minute afternoon snooze.

 Turns out the afternoon snooze is most effective in keeping people alert for the rest of the day, scientists in a recent survey observed.

But most folks don’t have a bed as part of their standard-issue office equipment. Think back to the Seinfeld show, and the episode when George Costanza built himself a cozy crash pad under his desk. See? It can be done.

Tags: coffee, sleep