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Why do we fall asleep when we get to work or study?
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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We all have those days when, having slept well, we get out of bed with a bang and walk to work or school with a huge charge of energy. We have had a good rest and feel a surge of energy, our health is simply great and a smile never leaves our face. And then we come to the office or the classroom and after a few hours we begin to yawn and stretch, and our eyelids feel like lead. Despite the long rest, we feel that our strength is gradually leaving us and the only desire that is spinning in our heads is to lie down and take a nap, no matter where.
Surely this situation is familiar to many, but the reasons for such a metamorphosis are not clear.
It turns out that the culprit is the high level of carbon dioxide that accumulates in offices and classrooms. It affects our performance, attention and concentration.
The source of carbon dioxide is the person himself. Outside, its concentration reaches 380 parts per million, but indoors - up to 1,000. In auditoriums, where there are many people, the concentration of carbon dioxide can reach 3,000 parts per million. Saturation of up to 5,000 particles of carbon dioxide in the air can pose a serious threat to human health, provided that he is indoors for more than eight hours.
Long-term inhalation of carbon dioxide can not only affect our well-being, making us tired and sapping our energy, but it can also interfere with our ability to make good decisions and think strategically.
Researchers from the State University of New York and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examined the effects of different doses of carbon dioxide on people.
They recruited 22 adults, mostly students, to participate in the experiment and divided them into six groups. Each of the experimental groups was placed in a separate room, where they stayed for two and a half hours. The concentrations of the gas were as follows: 600 parts per million, 1,000 parts per million, and 2,500 parts per million. After taking the “dose,” all participants took a computer test, with the help of which the scientists analyzed the answers they received.
It turned out that these levels of carbon dioxide concentration do not pose a risk to human health, but they do negatively affect their mental abilities. Therefore, the participants who were in the room with a level of 2500 parts per million showed the worst results.