Picture this: it’s 4 PM, and you feel your afternoon crash coming on. Looking for a little energy, you reach for a “healthy” juice. Some sugar to wake up the system.

The sweetness brings on a familiar high, and you sit down excited to work — only your brain isn’t doing any better. Actually, you’re feeling slower than before.

Sound familiar? It does for many of us. But while we’ve all been made to believe “sugar highs” gives you energy, they’re really making you a worse worker.

According to a recent study published in the scientific journal, Physiology and Behavior, participants in a controlled experiment, who recently had a glucose containing drink (the purest form of sugar) saw a decline in their cognitive performance.

Simplified, the “sugar coma” is a very real thing.

The study was double-blind, indicating a placebo effect wasn’t at play, which is a fancy scientific way of saying they’re positive sugar is the culprit.

What’s worse is the effect was more pronounced when participants had been fasting for 10 or more hours, which is bad news for those used to a sweet juice or coffee for breakfast.

So the next time you’re reaching for a sugary drink, remember to evaluate if you need your brain that day. If the answer is yes (it should be), then try an alternative, like zero-sugar, naturally flavored Hint water. And for the morning coffee people, they’ve got a lightly-caffeinated variety too. Bye , bye sugar coma.