How To Stay Awake During Video Meetings

There are so many fabulous benefits to working from home. You get to roll out of bed, jump into your favorite sweats, and open up the laptop. No more early morning traffic or evening rush hour to deal with. However, working remote is not always sunshine and rainbows. One addition to working from home that can be a bit challenging is all of the online video meetings. Whether it is zoom, skype or google meetings, bringing video conferences home has it’s challenges.

Meetings were difficult enough to stay awake during while they were in person. Now you are able to attend these meetings from the comfort of your own home. Making it all the more difficult to stay alert and attentive. Which is why we have collected our top tips on how to stay awake during video meetings. Keep reading to learn more.

Heading back to the office? Check out our post: How To Stay Awake At Work All Day

Try a Standing Desk

Upgrade your home office with a standing desk. Or simply get a raised laptop holder and stand at the kitchen counter. Not only will this make falling asleep during a meeting incredibly difficult. It is also a much better option for your overall health.

Our bodies suffer when we sit all day everyday. Instead get moving and stand for a few hours while you work each day. If you manage to fall asleep while standing up, we would be quite impressed.

…Or a Bike Desk

Another alternative to a standard desk option, the stationary bike desk allows you to exercise while working. It is a great solution for anyone who prefers to stay moving and has trouble sitting still for hours and hours on end.
When you have the ability to keep your legs moving, this is a great way to stay healthy, moving, and awake throughout your meeting.

The only potential issue is wind noise. You may want to use on mute and make the bike still during your own presentations.

If you are an exercise junky, we highly recommend checking out our post: Exercise and Sleep: Is Exercise Good For Sleep?

Acupressure

Not to be confused with acupuncture, acupressure does not involve any needles. You simply apply pressure to different area in order to induce some slight discomfort, increase blood flow, and keep yourself awake and alert. This is very simple and easy to do while sitting during your zoom call in order to not fall asleep.

One of the most popular places for acupressure is to gently squeeze and massage your hand muscle between your pointer finger and thumb. For those who type often, this spot can be a bit tender, so be sure to be gentle with yourself.

Tennis Ball Massage

Grab a tennis ball, or get your hands on a pair of massage balls, and put it under your feet while you are in your meeting. If you have a standing desk you can give yourself a mean foot massage this way. When sitting it can be a good fidget tool. Or place between your back and your office chair. This can be a great way to work out knots in your back while sitting at your desk.

If you have trouble sitting still, the tennis ball can also be used as a fidget tool to keep your hands busy while listening. If you enjoy this tip, there are plenty more ways to use a tennis or massage balls for massaging aching muscles when laying down on the floor or pushed up against a wall too.

Eat a Snack

Bring a small snack with you to your next meeting. By eating a small snack, this gives you a small boost in energy. It also keeps your mind and body activated during you meeting which keeps you from accidentally falling asleep during your zoom or skype call.

Of course all crunchy foods should be eaten on mute. Try to avoid simple sugars as they often give you a quick boost in energy followed by a lull. Another great benefit of working from home is that you won’t offend anyone by eating boiled eggs or tuna!

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Get Involved

Not only will getting involved and active throughout a meeting being helpful for staying awake, it makes you a better worker as well. If you are prepared for your meeting and stay engaged throughout the meeting, it will be much easier to stay awake.

Even if the main purpose of the meeting is to provide you information, take notes. Find a way to stay active while listening.

Change Up Your Location

One of the biggest benefits of working remotely is that you can change your location. If you have a laptop and the freedom to move around, take advantage of this huge benefit. Sit in the sun on your balcony, or simply sit in a different spot in your home.

Something as small and simple as a change in surroundings can make a huge difference when it comes to staying alert and focused. If you can move to a location where you are getting a bit of sunshine or a cool breeze, this can be a refreshing change to being stuck in an office. If you are able to remain safe and adventure outside of your home, this can also be a fun change in environment as you work.

Get Some Fidget Toys

Sitting still and listening can be an exhausting task for many of us. It is difficult to remain engaged and focused during a work meeting. Especially when it is virtual. Which is one reason fidget toys are a great option. It gives your mind and hands something to do while you listen to the meeting. While can be a great way to stay awake.

Our only warning is to be sure that you don’t get a puzzle or anything that gets your mind too involved in the process. You want this to be a fun engaging fidget toy, like this one, not a full on distraction.

Does your kid struggle to stay awake at school? Check out our post: How To Stay Awake In Class

Ice Cold Water

Of course when you think about a drink that will help keep you awake, we all think of caffeine first. While a good cup of coffee or an energy drink can be helpful to keep yourself awake, you can only drink so much. Getting dehydrated can make you feel very tired. Which is why the first drink we recommend to keep on hand during a virtual meeting, is an ice cold glass of water.

Being too warm and cozy can lead to wanting to drift off to sleep. A refreshing cold glass of water is perfect to sip on in order to stay alert. It will also help to keep your hydrated throughout the day. We love using this tumbler to keep your drink cold. It not only keeps your water chilled but has a lid, reusable straw and doesn’t allow condensation to form.

If you need a quick wakeup call, you can even use that ice cold water with a wash cloth on your face and neck as a cold compress. This can also help to keep you awake.

Learn more about the importance of staying hydrated has on your sleep and energy in our post: Sleep & Hydration

Coffee & Energy Drinks

A caffeinated beverage. We know them, we love them, but use with caution. Too much caffeine can be pretty bad for your health. We also suggest that you stay away from drinks that are high in sugar.

A lot of energy and coffee drinks are not only packed full of stimulating ingredients but with sugar as well. The sugar can lead to quick bursts of energy followed by steep drops in energy. Try to find low sugar or sugar free options if you plan on drinking a caffeinated beverage in order to stay alert throughout your video meeting. Again, even if it is sugar free be careful not to over do it.

Considering cutting out caffeine? Check out our post: Caffeine Free: The Benefits of Quitting Caffeine