Many cases of tiredness are due to stress, not enough sleep, poor diet and other lifestyle factors. Try these self-help tips to restore your energy levels.
If you feel you're suffering from fatigue, which is an overwhelming tiredness that isn't relieved by rest and sleep, you may have an underlying medical condition. Consult a GP for advice.
A good way to keep up your energy through the day is to eat regular meals and healthy snacks every 3 to 4 hours, rather than a large meal less often.
Read more about healthy eating.
You might feel that exercise is the last thing on your mind. But, in fact, regular exercise will make you feel less tired in the long run, so you'll have more energy.
Even a single 15-minute walk can give you an energy boost, and the benefits increase with more frequent physical activity.
Start with a small amount of exercise. Build it up gradually over weeks and months until you reach the recommended goal of 2 hours 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.
Read more about starting exercise.
Find out the physical activity guidelines for adults.
If your body is carrying excess weight, it can be exhausting. It also puts extra strain on your heart, which can make you tired. Lose weight and you'll feel much more energetic.
Apart from eating healthily, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to be more active and do more exercise.
Read more about how to lose weight.
Many people don't get the sleep they need to stay alert through the day.
The website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has information on sleeping well.
Tips for sleeping well include:
Stress uses up a lot of energy. Try to introduce relaxing activities into your day. This could be:
Whatever relaxes you will improve your energy.
Read more about how to relieve stress.
There's some evidence that talking therapies such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) might help to fight fatigue, or tiredness caused by stress, anxiety or low mood.
See a GP for a referral for talking treatment on the NHS, or for advice on seeing a private therapist.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends that anyone feeling tired should cut out caffeine. It says the best way to do this is to gradually stop having all caffeine drinks over a 3-week period.
Caffeine is found in:
Try to stay off caffeine completely for a month to see if you feel less tired without it.
You may find that not consuming caffeine gives you headaches. If this happens, cut down more slowly on the amount of caffeine that you drink.
Although a couple of glasses of wine in the evening can help you fall asleep, you sleep less deeply after drinking alcohol. The next day you'll be tired, even if you sleep a full 8 hours.
Cut down on alcohol before bedtime. You'll get a better night's rest and have more energy.
The NHS recommends that men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units a week, which is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of low-strength wine.
Try to have several alcohol-free days each week.
Read more about how to cut down on alcohol.
Sometimes you feel tired simply because you're mildly dehydrated.
A glass of water will do the trick, especially after exercise.
Read about healthy drinks.
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
Are your eyelids sagging as the afternoon wears on? When low energy drags you down, don't look to a candy bar, cup of coffee, or energy drink for a lift. The sugar and caffeine might give you an immediate pick-me-up, but after that quick high wears off, you'll crash and feel even more drained
What you need: a lasting solution to keep sluggishness at bay. Here are 10 fatigue fighters that can leave you feeling refreshed and revitalized.
1. Eat your breakfast. People who eat breakfast every morning report less fatigue and stress than people who skip it. High-fiber foods, like hot oatmeal, stick with you longer than a sweet roll or pastry. As the day wears on, they'll prevent you from getting hungry (hunger can lead to low energy).
2. Do a downward dog. Some studies have found that yoga, which uses various postures and deep breathing for exercise and meditation, can be an excellent fatigue fighter.
3. Belt out your favorite tune. Singing gives you a kind of emotional high while it reduces levels of stress hormones in your body. So grab a hairbrush, put on your favorite song, and sing away. If you're at work and don't want to face your co-workers' puzzled stares, you might want to save your vocal stylings for the car.
4. Have a drink of water. Dehydration can leave you feeling drained and fatigued. You don't necessarily have to follow the "eight glasses a day" rule, but you do want to drink enough water to keep your body well hydrated. You can tell you're well hydrated when you don't feel thirsty and your urine is light-colored. Try to get to the fridge or water cooler for a refill every few hours. The walk there will also help you wake up.
5. Go nuts. Eat a handful of almonds or peanuts, which are high in magnesium and folate (folic acid).
These nutrients are essential for energy and cell production. A lack of these nutrients in your system can leave you feeling weary.
6. Grab a cinnamon stick. Some people say that just a whiff of this scented spice can reduce fatigue and make them feel more alert. No cinnamon handy? Grab a mint from your bag. Peppermint's sweet aroma is another fatigue fighter for some people. More research is needed to see if and how these aromas actually affect a person's energy level.
7. Get moving. Exercise is a natural energy booster, because whenever you do it, oxygen-rich blood surges through your body to your heart, muscles, and brain. Regularly squeezing a workout into your day -- even if you can spare only 10 minutes at a time -- will help keep your energy levels at their peak. Move around every chance you get, even if it's just to pace in circles while you're on the phone.
8. Let the sunshine in. Research suggests that just a few minutes of walking outside on a warm, clear day may enhance mood, memory, and the ability to absorb new information.
Going outside can even improve your self-esteem. If you absolutely can't get out, at least open the shades.
9. Have a bite. Your brain needs fuel to function at its best. When your blood sugar level drops, your mind will start running on fumes and will feel fuzzy as a result. So if your head is starting to droop, eat a snack that will give you enough energy to take you through the rest of the afternoon. Snacks that combine protein with slow-burning carbs -- like banana slices with peanut butter, or granola with fresh berries -- are best for maintaining your blood sugar levels over the long term.
10. Hang out with upbeat friends. Emotions are surprisingly contagious. People who are constantly negative and down can sap your energy, while those who are always up and excited can give you a real lift.
I HAVE NO POWER! The lack of energy characteristic of spring fatigue manifests itself as fatigue, drowsiness or apathy.
In addition to those mentioned, there may also be depression and loss of motivation. Fatigue is a normal response of the body to lack of sleep, increased levels of stress, overload at work or school, lack of vitamins and minerals, and a sedentary lifestyle.
1. Pay attention to vitamins and minerals
Vitamin D is deficient in autumn and winter, so supplements with this vitamin should be taken from October to March. We also lack other vitamins and minerals, which we get from fresh vegetables, berries and fruits in summer. Even if some of them remain until spring, the amount of nutrients in them decreases and becomes insufficient.
2. Call the sleep fairy for help
A good night's sleep reduces tiredness and sleepiness during the day. The average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep. Emotional stress, chronic pain, allergies, alcohol, night sweats plus mobile devices, computer and TV right before bed reduce the quality of sleep. During the day, if possible, 10 minutes of naps will be enough for a good boost of energy.
However, it must be borne in mind that it is impossible to doze off for more than 30 minutes, otherwise it will be difficult to fall asleep in the evening.
3. Keep moving
You rarely feel like exercising when you're tired, but there are many studies that show that physical activity increases energy levels and has always been strongly associated with vitality and overall quality of life. When exercising, the work of the heart, lungs, muscles improves, which in general gives more energy for any activity. Interestingly, yoga is a particularly effective way to get energy. In a study conducted by the British, volunteers after six weeks of attending yoga once a week felt more energy, mental activity improved, and self-esteem rose.
4. Drink more fluids
Dehydration, or insufficient fluid intake, weakens a person's performance, reduces vigor and impairs the ability to concentrate. An adult person needs to drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day, given that coffee, tea, alcohol contribute to the removal of water from the body, so the more these drinks are consumed, the more water you need to drink per day.
5. Remember Fats
Omega-3 fatty acids improve concentration and may reduce fatigue. Study participants in Italy consumed one fish oil capsule daily for 21 consecutive days. As a result, they were observed to react more quickly during the responses, and the participants themselves admitted that they felt more energetic.
6. Watch what you put in your stomach
Small, frequent meals help maintain an even blood sugar level, which provides the body with the energy it needs throughout the day. It is recommended to eat five to six times a day.
7. Ask for advice at the pharmacy
Various vitamin and mineral complexes are available in pharmacies, but those containing coenzyme Q10, ginseng and amino acids will provide additional energy. Coenzyme Q10 provides cells with the energy necessary for vital processes. In the body, coenzyme Q10 is synthesized in the liver, but after the age of 25 its production decreases, so it can be taken with dietary supplements.
Ginseng is a medicinal plant with a pronounced tonic effect, and proteins are synthesized from amino acids, which, in turn, are the main “building material” in the human body.
IF FATIGUE CONTINUES
Consult your physician, as chronic fatigue may also indicate a more serious condition, such as diabetes, heart or thyroid disease, anemia, sleep apnea. Medications can also cause fatigue, such as various blood pressure medications, antihistamines, and diuretics. Talking to your doctor can help you find the causes of chronic fatigue.
Author: NELLIA MAJORE
JOURNAL SECRETS OF HEALTH magazine-guide about health №23 March 2017
What do you usually do in the evenings? Meeting friends, spending time with your kids, going to the gym or to the movies? Or, complaining about overwork, do you get home with the last of your strength and you are no longer enough for anything else?
If all your energy is at work, you are probably doing something wrong.
We figured out how to use your energy efficiently and where you can find unexpected sources of it.
Let's start with the obvious. We will never feel energized at the end of a work day if the previous 8 hours have been doing something we hate. According to research from the Canadian University of Alberta, in order to feel happier and less tired at work, we must clearly understand the purpose of what we are doing.
Every day, try to think about who your work could benefit, even if it is insignificant. Every work has a result that someone needs, remember this. Then focus on what your work gives you personally, what your needs are met with it, and what goals are being achieved.
Finally, try every day to celebrate something good that happened at work today. The more often you do this simple three-step exercise, the happier and more energetic you will feel, the less likely you are to bring yourself to overwork.
First, by airing the room, we cool it down.
We are much more tired at work when the air temperature reaches 28°C and above. Secondly, by opening windows, we reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide, which some experts also associate with work overwork.
“Carbon dioxide levels increase over the course of the day if the space is not well ventilated,” explains Richard Barry, home climate control specialist.
If there are few or no windows in your office, get some plants: they absorb carbon dioxide and other environmental pollutants that can contribute to overwork. In addition, they are simply pleasing to the eye.
If you sit slumped all day, you put your muscles under strain, which causes overwork. “When you slouch, you feel less attractive, it affects your mood and, as a result, causes fatigue,” says physiotherapist Sammy Margot. She advises sitting upright in a chair, as if someone is trying to gently pull you out of it.
Unfinished tasks take energy from us.
Thoughts about them will haunt us at home, not allowing us to rest. But if you take the time at the end of the day to review what we have done today and make a list of tasks for tomorrow, there is a chance to leave work with a sense of accomplishment and with a boost of energy.
If your eyes get tired by the end of the day, it could be a badly tuned computer monitor. Ophthalmologists recommend choosing fonts that are easier to perceive by the eyes, at least 12 pt. It is important that the monitor itself is located at a distance of 33 to 59cm from your face, and the center of the screen was about the same level as your eyes. And of course, do not forget to wipe the screen from dust - it can distort the image, giving additional strain to your eyes.
Researchers at the University of Surrey, England, found that those who replaced regular white bulbs with blue-tinted bulbs (which are closer to natural daylight) felt less sleepy during the day.
