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.
Image
Fatigue is a feeling that you're chronically tired - mentally and physically.
It can be caused by a number of factors, including unhealthy lifestyle choices, workplace problems and stress.
There are many different ways you can boost your energy, but see your health practitioner first to make sure you don't have an underlying medical problem.
Food, which gives us energy, is broken down by the digestive system. Some elements, such as water, are absorbed through the stomach. The rest are absorbed through the small intestine.
The body's preferred energy source is glucose, from carbohydrates , but it can also use fatty acids (from fats) and amino acids (from proteins). Glucose is delivered to virtually every cell in the body by the bloodstream, and is then burned with oxygen to produce energy.
Hormones control every step in this process; for example, the pancreas makes the hormone insulin, which helps to control blood sugar levels.
If you want more energy, look at your diet and make sure you're following these basic guidelines:
Low calorie diets or diets that severely restrict carbohydrates don't contain enough energy for your body's needs. The typical crash diet also deprives the body of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and trace elements.A common cause of fatigue is not enough sleep, or poor quality sleep. Suggestions include:
Adults need about 8 hours per night.
Take steps to address your work problems. A good place to start is to talk with your human resources officer.Studies suggest that between 50 and 80% of fatigue cases are mainly due to psychological factors. Suggestions include:
Are you so preoccupied with commitments and pressures that you don't give yourself enough time for fun? Laughter is one of the best energy boosters around.Most people feel drowsy after lunch. This mid-afternoon drop in energy levels is linked to the brain's circadian rhythm and is 'hard wired' into the human body. Preventing this drop in energy may be impossible, but there are ways to reduce the slump, including:
**This information was adapted from the 'Go for your life' campaign with permission by the Victorian Government, Melbourne, Australia
Links
Last Updated: November 4, 2013
Spleen, apathy, depression - that's what many people call it.
Asthenic syndrome - doctors call it.
What is it? There is such a simple life hack: if symptoms of weakness and lethargy appear right in the morning, then you need to ask yourself when do you feel better in the morning or in the evening? If in the morning, then everything is ok. If in the evening? For example, you went to bed on time, and it’s very difficult to get up in the morning, you have to persuade yourself for a long, long time, while there may be sleep disturbances, you get up as if you didn’t rest, you feel overwhelmed in the morning and this lasts for a long time, then, of course, you need to suspect depression . The second option If an asthenic condition has already arisen, then, of course, one change in the diet will not achieve the desired effect. You definitely need vitamin supplements. Consultation with specialist is required for selection. 
And here the help of a specialist may be required, very often this condition is a mask of some kind of chronic disease. 9 should work here0010 is not just a psychologist, but a good practitioner who can see the condition that is masked by depression. 
The end of winter-spring is a period when we often get sick, and the energy reserves in the body are replenished slowly, also because the products that we can find this season are depleted in vitamins and microelements that are necessary for energy processes.
Vitamins themselves are not a source of energy, but they activate numerous metabolic processes. Thanks to vitamins, food is properly digested and gives us strength. The metabolism works exactly the way it is supposed to work. The activity of hormonal glands, the cardiovascular, nervous system is regulated, they are involved in hematopoiesis. Vitamins are involved in all body processes, so the deficiency of each affects the deterioration of well-being.
So, vitamins and microelements - activators of energy processes: C, B1, H (biotin), folic acid, vitamin D, Copper, Chromium, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Iodine.
Let's see why and what vitamins we need. Why is it necessary in the spring, even if we eat right and include a lot of green and fresh foods in the diet. First of all, of course, vitamin C . He is responsible for immunity, for vitality, for a good mood. Increases the body's resistance to disease. Participates in the exchange of norepinephrine - this is the hormone of courage, thanks to which we kind of internally gather, mobilize, begin to think more clearly, make decisions faster and be effective. Effectively deal with stress.
The second most important vitamin in this respect is vitamin B1 . It helps the regeneration of the nervous system, which affects the emotional state.
Participates in the Kreps cycle, this is the main energy station in the body, so it is essential.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin, Vitamin H, Coenzyme R) controls the absorption of nutrients and their conversion into energy. Eliminates the feeling of eternal fatigue even with prolonged exertion, relieves sleep problems and, along with thiamine, determines the human ability to concentrate and mental work.
B9 (folic acid), like vitamin C, promotes the production of norepinephrine, protects against stress, awakens optimism and gives us energy. Including sexy!
Vitamin D orchestrates blood flow. How well he copes with his task depends on whether the cells are fully supplied with oxygen and cleared of decay products in a timely manner, as well as how quickly we can restore our strength after rest.
No less than vitamins, we need minerals:
Copper , the presence of which in the body directly affects metabolism, is involved in the formation of norepinephrine and serotonin.
Iron together with vitamin D is responsible for delivering oxygen to cells.
Selenium strengthens the nervous system and performs many other functions.
Potassium , the lack of which results in muscle weakness and heart rhythm disturbances. In order to avoid potassium deficiency, first of all, it is worth giving up fast food, which contains monosodium glutamate and salts, which are potassium antagonists.
Iodine saves us from chronic fatigue, shattered immunity and mental decline.
Chromium affects the functioning of the brain and the activity of the nervous system.
Magnesium is the “main power engineer” of cells, participates in more than 300 biochemical reactions and metabolic processes, and at the same time provides us with healthy sleep. Its deficiency is expressed in a feeling of permanent fatigue, lethargy and dizziness.
Additionally, we want to say that iron and iodine deficiency also causes a state of apathy and lethargy. Their prescription is recommended by doctors because there are certain restrictions.
If you take vitamins, eat well and properly, but nevertheless you are still covered in spring. There is an even more advanced level, we can test the genetics of vitamin metabolism . This is a simple and quick test, it is cheaper than constantly testing vitamin levels. In genetics and metabolism of vitamins, there can be persistent vitamin-deficiency states, even despite taking medications. There may be features associated with the exchange of vitamins, genetic features in which a person needs higher adjustments than others. Vitamins are coenzymes of many metabolic processes. They are involved in the synthesis of substances-accelerators of metabolic processes. Without them, they are not produced; without them, genomic material cannot be read. We invite you to consult one of our doctors and choose the best way to take care of your health! 
We have certain genes that encode all metabolic processes, the synthesis of regulatory proteins, enzymes that ensure the regulation of all metabolic processes. Information from genes may or may not be read due to the fact that there is a deficiency of certain vitamins in the body at the moment. Activation and synthesis of hormones may not occur due to the lack of certain vitamins, there is no reading of genomic material that encode information about the activity of hormones, for example. Therefore, vitamin deficiency is the first thing to be eliminated. This study lifts the veil of chronic conditions: persistent anemia, persistent chronic fatigue syndromes, digestive disorders. Gives simple answers to what needs to be monitored, and correct only what is a stumbling block for each individual person. We would like our readers and patients to know that on a highly scientific level we can give a simple understanding of the processes, a simple answer to this question.
We tend to feel tired at the end of the day, after hard work or exercise. But if such fatigue does not go away after sleep or rest, this is an alarm signal. In the article we understand why strength disappears and how to increase efficiency without harm to health.
Often, speaking of fatigue, we say that we have no strength or energy. But is this really the point?
There are energy carriers in the body - ATP molecules.
They are synthesized by all human cells. With the participation of ATP, physiological processes of different levels occur: from intracellular metabolism to walking or running, which involves many structures and systems.
ATP is the body's energy currency. No process will happen if there is no ATP.
In order for cells to synthesize ATP, it is necessary that they receive glucose and oxygen. We get glucose from food, and oxygen from the air we breathe.
Energy is wasted all the time, even when we “do nothing” something is constantly happening in the body: the heart beats, muscles work, the stomach and intestines digest food, cells and tissues are renewed, necessary substances are synthesized. The brain regulates these processes and processes information, which also consumes energy.
When we work - physically or intellectually - even more energy is expended. But if fatigue after a couple of hours in the gym is clear to us, then why we get tired when we solve math problems or come up with a project plan is not so obvious.
It can be assumed that thinking is a very energy-consuming process, and we get tired because we think intensively.
The brain does consume a lot of energy. Especially a lot of it is required by those neurons that are currently involved. But the brain, like the whole organism, is active all the time, and not just when we think. It constantly regulates the processes occurring in the body, processes information and spends about 20% of the energy consumed on it. The "thinking" brain requires more energy, but this increase is not significant.
20%
the brain consumes energy
If we do not diet, then usually our well-being does not depend too much on how much energy we have spent during the day. Therefore, by the evening we will feel tired, regardless of whether we were doing hard work or watching a series. Fatigue is manifested in inhibition of reactions. The man says that he "difficulty thinking and concentrating."
The first remedy for fatigue that comes to mind is sleep.
Normally, fatigue disappears after sleep. But how exactly does it help in the fight against fatigue? Clearly, sleep isn't just about replenishing your energy reserves, as a piece of the pie would do.
In fact, scientists do not know exactly why a person sleeps. But they know that without it recovery is impossible.
Most research suggests one thing: lack of sleep leads to various failures and disorders. Thus, it has been shown that with lack of sleep, carbohydrate metabolism is disturbed, the risk of developing diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity increases.
The psyche is also not happy with the lack of sleep: anxiety and aggressiveness increase.
Sleep supports the health and normal functioning of the body, but it is not yet clear how exactly.
And what about the brain? Previously, it was believed that the brain in a dream turns off for a while and “reboots”. But later, technical capabilities made it possible to see what was really happening.
It turned out that in a dream the brain works no less intensively than during wakefulness. It processes the information received during the day, new knowledge is built into the network of existing ones, “recorded” in memory or deleted from it (this is called the consolidation of memories).
And yet the "reboot" seems to be happening. There is a hypothesis of synaptic homeostasis, according to which sleep is needed to maintain synaptic connections in order, weaken and clean them up.
New neural connections are formed constantly. If they were automatically fixed, it would be very easy for a person to form new useful habits, memorize complex concepts and formulas, and so on. But at the same time, there would be too many connections, and the neurons could not provide them all with energy. In addition, “noise” would arise in neural networks, which would prevent a person from thinking normally, and the brain from processing and storing information. Therefore, some neural connections are weakened, and some are completely destroyed.
And, apparently, it happens in a dream.
One study supporting this hypothesis found that the size of synapses in the brain of mice does decrease after sleep, by about 18%. And its strength directly depends on the size of the neural connection.
During sleep, mainly those synapses that are not so important are affected. The largest, and therefore the strongest and most important, retain their size.
It turns out that sleep does not restore energy in the literal sense of the word, but it relieves the superfluous, literally "freeing" the head from unnecessary thoughts and information - a kind of "clearing the cache". This helps us feel rested.
Scientists have discovered that insomnia can be inherited. In addition, researchers have established a genetic link between insomnia and type II diabetes. The Atlas genetic test can analyze the genetic predisposition to insomnia.
But after sleep we are not always alert and full of energy.
Sometimes, when we wake up, we feel tired and overwhelmed, although we have slept enough. If this rarely happens, don't worry. But if fatigue is with you all the time, this is a wake-up call.
The body may actually lack energy. As already mentioned, cells need glucose and oxygen to synthesize ATP. If somewhere there is a failure, and there is little oxygen or glucose in the cells, there will also be little energy.
So it can be - banal - when we eat little. There is simply nowhere for glucose to come from, since normally the body receives it from food. Therefore, starvation, strict diets and lack of energy always go somewhere nearby.
Chronic fatigue can also be a symptom of many diseases.
Oxygen deficiency in cells can occur, for example, due to iron deficiency anemia (IDA) . The fact is that oxygen gets to the cells as part of the protein hemoglobin , which is contained in red blood cells - erythrocytes .
With IDA, there may be little in the body of both hemoglobin and erythrocytes, that is, couriers that deliver oxygen to all tissues and organs.
Glucose may not be enough due to diabetes mellitus . In order for glucose to enter the cells, the hormone insulin must act on them. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, so the hormone is virtually absent from the body. In type 2 diabetes, cells lose their sensitivity to insulin, or insulin is not produced in sufficient quantities to cover the needs of the body. As with diabetes mellitus of the first and second types, glucose practically does not enter the cells.
Other hormonal imbalances can also lead to energy imbalance and a constant feeling of fatigue. For example, lack of thyroid hormones .
Cancer can also cause fatigue. Scientists attribute such fatigue to inflammation in the body: inflammatory cytokine molecules send signals, in response to which, the brain "triggers" the symptoms of fatigue.
In addition, fatigue increases the stress caused by the diagnosis and the process of treatment itself.
Deficiencies of some vitamins (particularly D and B vitamins) and trace elements (iron, magnesium, zinc) can lead to permanent fatigue.
The brain doesn’t care whether we think about work or do it, we literally spend the same amount of effort on it. And if “get it and do it” is a short hundred-meter sprint, then long reflections are a marathon several tens of kilometers long. The sprint would have been much less tiring. For the same reason, it is harmful to think about work outside of working hours. Also mental or mental fatigue may cause a feeling of physical fatigue. Participants in one study exercised on an exercise bike. One group had previously watched the movie, while the other group took an hour and a half test of attention. As a result, the second group was able to pedal not as long as the first, and, according to the subjective assessment, it was harder for them.
It turns out that a significant part of our fatigue is in the head.
Therefore, scrolling through social networks or watching funny videos will most likely not help recovery either. First, as with rumination, concentration is lost: if you generally find it difficult to focus on work, then you will spend a lot of energy returning to it. And each break will be accompanied by a new effort, which will negate the effect of such a rest. Secondly, by flipping through social networks, you somehow receive and assimilate new information. And if you already have a lot of tasks to keep in mind, the situation can get worse.
If your fatigue is related to health problems, you can't do without a doctor. If with constant stress and overload, then you need to work on this. Excessive fatigue will pass when you eliminate the causes.
But if you're okay, you don't feel overwhelmed, and you just want to be more productive, you can try to change your lifestyle or approach to work a little.
The obvious advice is: get enough sleep, eat a varied and balanced diet, exercise, and walk more often in the fresh air.
Less obvious:
In addition, such work is also useless: working too much, you get tired, and productivity drops. Tip: don't spend the whole weekend cleaning and cooking, it's better to distribute household chores evenly throughout the week.
More articles on how to feel better on the Atlas blog:
, Gusnard D., Appraising the brain's energy budget, 2002 
