Do you feel as though you’re constantly tired?
You’re not alone. Only 1 in 7 people in the US say they wake up feeling fresh every day. Most days, it can be a struggle even to get out of bed, let alone make it through the day.
Luckily, there are ways to combat fatigue and boost your energy levels. In this article, we’ll tell you what they are.
Combat Fatigue with these 10 Tips
Read on to find out how to get that spring back in your step.
1. Start Exercising
It may seem counterproductive to tire yourself out to gain more energy, but it really works.
One of the first things you should start doing to stop feeling so tired is exercise. It has been proven to boost energy, and not just in people who are fatigued. It also works for sedentary people, healthy people, and even patients with chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
When you’re feeling drained, the last thing you want to do is drag yourself to the gym, but if you force yourself to get started, you’ll start seeing the benefits very quickly.
2. Change Your Diet
What does your diet look like?
If you’re eating a lot of processed foods which are high in sugar and trans fats, these could be the cause of your energy problems.
Your waning energy levels probably have you reaching for coffees, candy bars, and energy drinks, but these are only a short-term fix. In the long run, they keep you in a perpetual cycle of peaking and crashing. Instead, you need to consume foods and drinks that continuously sustain you throughout the day.
The ideal balanced diet consists of approximately 60% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 10% fat. All of these macronutrients should come from fresh, unprocessed foods.
Eat lots of whole grains, legumes, complex carbohydrates, good fats, and lean proteins. These foods will keep you fuller for longer, releasing a steady supply of energy over time.
Making sure you get the right vitamins is important, too. This means eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Think about getting as many colors as you can on your plate, and you’ll get more of the vitamins you need.
3. Take Supplements
It can be hard to get all of the nutrients you need from food, especially when you have a busy schedule and can’t always cook your own meals.
Supplements can help you to fill the gap, topping up whatever’s missing from your diet.
If your fatigue is particularly bad, you may need to pay extra attention to supplementation of iron. This is because iron-deficient anemia often causes fatigue.
Iron is essential for energy production. Without it, hemoglobin can’t be carried to the body’s cells to make more energy.
Women who are menstruating heavily are particularly susceptible to this deficiency. Vegetarians and vegans are, too. This is because the body more easily absorbs iron from animal products than iron from plant-based foods.
Iron isn’t the only supplement you should be taking to combat fatigue. There are a few others you need, too. The other best minerals for energy include magnesium, chromium, zinc, and manganese. Read more here to find out why.
4. Set a Bedtime Routine
Bedtime routines aren’t just for children. Adults need them just as much!
You need to make time to wind down before going to sleep. Otherwise, your body will stay wired, and you’ll find yourself tossing and turning for hours on end.
A bedtime routine could involve drinking a cup of chamomile tea, turning down the lights, reading a book, turning off your phone, or anything that helps you get in the right mindset to go to sleep. Find what works for you and stick to it.
5. Track Your Sleep
In order to be well-rested, you need to make sure that you not only get enough sleep but that the quality of your sleep is good, too.
In order to do that, you can use a sleep tracking app.
These apps monitor your sleep cycles and give you an analysis each morning. When you wake up, you can see how many times you woke up during the night, how much you moved around in your sleep, which sleep phases you’re going through.
You can use this information to make the changes you need to get better sleep each night.
6. Drink More Water
Dehydration sucks your energy much more quickly than you’d think.
If you’re not drinking enough water, your body can’t perform as it should. You’ll also struggle more to concentrate and stay alert throughout the day. Start drinking more water, and you may find that you start to perk up.
7. Take a Break from Technology
These days, many of us spend several hours a day staring at screens. Whether it’s a computer or a smartphone, it’s draining our energy.
Take breaks during the day to get away from the screen. This is especially important just before you sleep. The blue light that smartphones emit tricks our bodies into staying in a wakeful state, so put the phone down around an hour before it’s time to sleep.
8. Address Your Stress
If stress is causing your fatigue, you’ll have to address this problem first.
When things are constantly playing on your mind, it’s hard to rest. Try to tackle those problems to become less anxious and more relaxed. You could even try meditation to help the process along.
9. Throw Out Your Sleeping Pills
Stop turning to sleeping pills in a desperate attempt to get more rest.
These pills treat your symptoms, but they don’t get to the root of the problem. Over time, you may even find that you become dependent on them.
10. See a Doctor
Sometimes, you can’t beat fatigue on your own. If the above tips don’t help, it’s a good idea to visit a doctor. There could be underlying health problems that are causing your tiredness.
Get Everything in Balance
Sometimes, fixing exhaustion and persistent fatigue requires more than a simple change of routine. Learning how to combat fatigue can help you stay productive at work or home.
For some people, it’s caused by a hormone imbalance.
If this is the case, hormone therapy may be required to correct it. If you think hormones are causing your energy levels to drop, get them checked out. For more information, read our post on how to identify a hormone imbalance.
