The Digestive Hour

The Digestive Hour is a term commonly used to describe the hour after the midafternoon meal in Europe and North America. The term was first coined by Moore, Duong et al. (2009) and popularized within an expatriate group of Canadians residing in Switzerland in the year 2009.
The term Digestive Hour came about as a result of the extreme state of drowsiness that is induced by a typical lunchtime meal. This state of drowsiness renders useless the physical capacity to perform work-related or professional tasks, leading to a decreased level of productivity in the hour immediately following the meal.
Time
The typical time of the digestive hour is not based on an absolute scale, but rather is defined in a relative sense to the period when the individual consumes their food. In general, the lunch hour spans from 12:00 pm to about 1:00 pm in most North American and European cultures, so a general timeframe that the digestive hour takes place is from 1:00 pm to around 2:00 pm. In particular, this is important as this is the time of day that the temperature is the highest, thus excentuating the sleepy or tired feeling that is the major indication of the digestive hour. It should be noted, however, that the so-called "Digestive Hour" may in fact last much longer than the name suggests, in the case of overeating, extended lunch breaks, or variations in the type of food products consumed.
Foods
While in general it has been noted that the consumption of any type of edible food products will induce the onset of the digestive hour, it is known that some foods may enhance and contribute to the hour-long decrease of productivity. In general, heavy carbohydrates combined with protein-rich foods tend to have a more intense effect as opposed to lighter, salad-type meals. Below is a list of foods that in particular contribute the most to the digestive hour:
- large plates of pasta
- hot sandwiches
- doner kebabs
- cheese and dairy-cheese products
- whole rotisserie chickens
- more than 500 g of fresh bread
Effects on Productivity
While there still needs to be more extensive research performed on the effects of the digestive hour on workplace productivity, it is now known through preliminary experimental data that indicators of the digestive hour are the following:
- a tendency to lean
- inability to maintain an open eye position
- multiple trips to the coffee room
- napping
- staring blankly
- general poor efficiency and effectiveness
Testimonials
Third-year Mechanical Engineering student and avid nature enthusiast Christopher Moore has been quoted as saying:

"After approximately 5 months of extensive research, it was conclusively determined that, during the digestive hour, worker productivity acutely declined to levels on par with gastropod molluscs."

Third-year Mechanical Engineering student and fine-food connaisseur Bruce Duong concludes:

"The digestive hour is an important field of study in the interface between work and pleasure. One should be fully aware of the consequences that consuming a large midday meal has on the overall productivity of the rest of the working-day. It is not only critical that individuals should be well-informed of this unique time of day, but I believe that larger organizations should focus on researching techniques of mitigating the negative effects of this "Digestive Hour", in particular napping."

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