By AUDREY VIJAINDREN

SUNNY Yap, 29, lived with afternoon drowsiness for over 10 years. He had to skip lunch or pay the price of missing work appointments - neither of which was a viable solution.

"I've always felt drained of energy just moments after lunch. I'm in the sales line and these 'sleepy spells' were beginning to affect my career.

"While most of my friends were productive after a full stomach, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. To top it all off, I realised I was steadily gaining weight."

Yap decided to seek the help of a biomedic scientist.

"To my amazement, I learnt that my condition was common," he says.

After just a few pointers on eating right and lifestyle changes, Yap is in top form today.

"The scientist I visited made me think about what I was putting on my lunch plate. It was all about the right choices.

"At first it sounded too good to be true, but when I was able to resolve my sleepiness problem and bring my weight down by almost 10kg in just three months, I became a firm believer."

Consultant biomedic scientist Gew Soon Peng believes post-lunch dips could be a sign of more serious health problems, and should not be overlooked.

"While slight sleepiness after a meal may be normal, excessive sleepiness may signify a serious underlying medical issue. When you are digesting your meal, blood is shunted to the stomach while simultaneously carrying necessary oxygen to tissues and picking up nutrients, leaving you lethargic.

"Some fix this by taking power naps, while others play hooky by going home after lunch. But that does not solve the real problem.

"Many suffer in silence due to the fear that they may be looked upon as lazy and unproductive. But that is not the case at all, there are simple lifestyle changes that can help remedy it."

Gew says excessive sleepiness immediately after lunch, especially those heavy with carbohydrates, could indicate insulin resistance.

"Insulin resistance affects up to 65 per cent of the worldwide overweight population and scientists estimate that 25 per cent of the population may suffer from this disorder in the future, leading to diabetes and other chronic diseases.

"It vastly reduces insulin cells, which impairs the processing of glucose through the cell wall for conversion to energy, resulting in tiredness.

"Consequently, glucose remains in your blood stream, causing elevated levels of blood sugar being sent to the liver. The sugar is converted into fat and stored mainly in the abdomen.

"Frequently, insulin resistant individuals feel hungry in less than two hours after eating. Ideally, one should only feel hungry after six hours."

There are some lifestyle and eating habit changes, Gew says, that could get rid of the problem for good.

"Indians and Malays have a higher tendency of developing post-lunch dips because they tend to consume more rice and meat, but less fruits and vegetables.

"Carbohydrate intake has increased dramatically in the last century."

Since the onset of large-scale flour refinement in the 1890s, the average person consumes more refined carbohydrates in a week than a 19th century person did in a year!

He says the rule of thumb is to divide your plate in half.

"Your plate should consist of 30 to 50 per cent protein based food and the other 50 to 70 per cent with 'good' carbohydrates.

"Examples of good protein choices would be plant protein, like soy based products, peas and beans, fish and eggs. When choosing carbohydrates, go for complex and not refined. Noodles, rice, bread, biscuits, chocolates and ice cream are refined. Natural unprocessed vegetables and fruits (like guava) and oats are good complex choices."

Gew says that it is fundamental to understand that our bodies are multi-factor machines.

"A lot of people think they need to slim down to get healthy, but the truth is when you are healthy, your body will slim down."

Although it is not rocket science, he says, these minor changes can solve the afternoon dip problem.

For wellness planner, Phelomena Chua, her secret to getting rid of inches around the waist and boosting energy was as simple as knowing her body clock.

"I never used to give it any thought until I noticed that I was starting to put on weight. I work late hours and only had time to gobble up my dinner when I got home, which was 10pm.

"This was slowing down my body's sugar burning process and giving my body less time to repair itself.

"But when I learnt that the body repairs different organs at different times of the night and day, I realised that I wasn't being fair to my body.

"According to traditional Chinese medicine, the 'Five Elements', your liver tries to repair itself from 1am to 3am, while the lungs take over from 3am to 5am. The heart usually starts its healing process at 11am for a couple of hours.

"By the time you get up in the morning, your body is ready to flush out toxins," says the 44-year-old mother of three.

Chua says understanding this simple key enabled her to drop 8kg in three months.

"The body takes three to six months to repair itself. It's also important to detoxify your body every six months, so your liver and colon can work well."

Another wellness planner, Samantha Mak Lai Jong, says focusing on the four pillars of healthy living - diet, nutrition, physical and mental - has enabled her to drop 8kg in four months.

"There is no one-step solution to boosting energy, losing weight and healthy living. I've made small changes in my life that have led to big results.

"I've started eating more raw and unprocessed food. It's not easy to find 'good' raw food, especially vegetables. You never really know how authentic they are. But I've tried to clean my vegetables and fruits more, ridding them of as much pesticides and herbicides as possible."