Being tired is not our normal state. If you find yourself out of energy come afternoons or early evenings, you need to remedy the situation. Many things can trigger fatigue. Some are physical, some mental. Be thoroughly honest with yourself when diagnosing the causes of your tiredness. If fatigue is part of your daily life, if no amount of sleep makes a dent in your tiredness or if fatigue penetrates you to the bone, then it’s a real health problem. Fatigue has many causes, some complex. But sometimes we overlook the most obvious reason why we lack energy; we haven’t properly fueled ourselves. Often, lack of energy means nothing more than you are hungry or thirsty. In fact, it is often a better marker that you need something to eat than any sensation emanating from your belly!
With that in mind, here are some tweaks to your food choices and eating patterns that could go a long way toward remedying low energy and daytime fatigue.
1. Eat often
Eating small meals throughout the day, or three meals and two smart snacks, helps keep your blood sugar stable, which fends off fatigue. Try to eat something healthy every three hours; longer than that, and you risk a drop in blood sugar that will effect how you feel.
2. Skip the coffee
The caffeine in coffee is a mostly safe and natural stimulant that increases your heart and breathing rate, but its effects wear off, leaving you either craving more or feeling tired again. Many experts now say to avoid caffeine if fatigue is an ongoing problem.
3. Never skip breakfast
You wake up and do your morning routine, and by the time you arrive at the kitchen, 12 hours have passed since your last meal. Even if your stomach doesn’t feel hungry, your body is. Eat a small breakfast every day. Studies show that people who eat breakfast concentrate and are more productive than those who don’t.
4. Keep drinking water
Water is needed for the basic chemistry of energy in your body. Without enough in your diet, your body has to compensate for it in a way that can sap you of vitality. Drink a glass every two hours or so.
5. Eat sufficient protein
The amino acids in proteins help increase levels of neurotransmitters in your bloodstream that play a major role in mood and alertness. A good rule of thumb is to be sure to have a serving of protein at every meal, including breakfast.
6. Consume fewer sweets
Refined sugar and corn syrup digest quickly and cause nearly instant blood-sugar surges the well-known “sugar rush” we accuse overactive kids of having, followed by a crash in blood sugar that leaves people without energy. While grownups may not feel sugar-related surges like a child might, they often do suffer from the crash. So skip sodas, cake, cookies; go for proteins instead.
7. Swallow a B vitamin supplement
The older you get, the harder it is to absorb vitamin B12, a key energy vitamin, from food. Talk to your doctor about taking a B-complex supplement. It’s best to get your Bs together rather than in single supplements since they have synergistic effect.
8. Try Yoga
You are never too old to start it. This ancient stretching, mind/body regimen offers something for everyone, regardless of physical condition.
9. Get out for a walk
Aerobic exercise is just as important as strength training in alleviating tiredness. Something as simple as a daily walk improves fatigue in cancer patients.