Prioritize Your Sleep
Sleep is equally vital to your health as regular exercise and proper eating. Avoid pushing it aside to make space for other activities.
Having inadequate sleeping, or sleeping less than seven hours every night, is the primary cause of exhaustion. Lack of sleep often leaves you feeling tired. It has also been associated with an increased risk for severe accidents and various health conditions, such as:
– Reduced immunity
– Diabetes
– Depression
– Impaired thinking, mood, and memory
– Weight gain
– Heart complications
The snooze button is another mostly-overlooked energy-zapper. While it’s very tempting to enjoy those extra ten minutes of shut-eye, it’s not enough to reach restorative sleep. It would be best to get up immediately when your alarm clock rings.
The most surprising thing is that several studies have proven that regularly sleeping 9+hours every night is linked to an increased risk for diabetes, obesity, and headaches.
The happy medium sounds much better; most adults perform well on 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
The best Australian mattress brands will help you in your quest for a great night’s sleep and less daytime fatigue.
Fuel With Protein
Perhaps your usual breakfast is a bowl of sugary cereal, muffin, doughnut, or probably nothing at all. If that’s the case, chances are you’ll feel the effects just several hours into the day. Filling your system with a large dose of carbs results in a spike in blood sugar, and then a crash that may leave you feeling desperate for a nap.
You could consider scrambling eggs for breakfast if you got the time. Alternatively, you could go for a bowl of yogurt with fruit, spread peanut butter on your piece of whole-wheat toast, or grab a protein-enriched smoothie or bar. Rather than an afternoon candy bar, consider taking apple slices with some cheese.
Incorporate protein into your meals, and enjoy snacks that balance protein with carbs. Protein inhibits serious fluctuations in blood sugar, which leaves you more alert.
Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine
You can often find caffeine in coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda, and even chocolate. Taking caffeine may interfere with your sleep by shortening your restorative sleep stages, keeping you awake longer, and zapping your alertness the following day.
As such, it’s prudent to watch your caffeine consumption. According to the FDA, you should consume no more than 400 milligrams (around 4-5 cups of coffee) every day. What’s more, because caffeine’s half-life may vary from two hours up to 12 hours, you should keep off caffeine within at least six hours of bedtime.
Alcohol may also affect good shut-eye by disrupting your sleep duration and your overall ability to fall and remain asleep. Scientists discovered that taking alcohol six hours before your bedtime could also cause wakefulness during your second half of sleep. Excessive consumption of alcohol may also result in a hangover and a rough, sluggish start to your day.
Try Moving More
Although it may sound counterintuitive, daily fatigue could mean that your body needs more activity. Regular exercise stimulates your mood, increases your metabolism, and helps you have improved sleep at night.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you should have 150+ minutes of exercise weekly, this is around 30 minutes daily, five times a week.
That said, you don’t have to spend many hours at the gym, or perform the advised 30 minutes at one time. Consider taking a quick 20-minute walk around your block in the morning, and then perform a brisk 10-minute stair exercise in the afternoon. A study was conducted on several sleep-deprived adults. It discovered that a 10-minute walk up and down the stairs raises energy levels more than consuming 50 milligrams of caffeine.
Drink More Water
Many people do not drink enough water throughout the day. And dehydration can cause increased sleepiness, irritability, and fatigue.
These ideas can help you increase your daily water intake:
– Drink a glass of water after waking up and before brewing your tea or coffee.
– Drink a glass of water (full) before each meal.
– Always have a refillable water bottle at your desk and even in your car.
– Opt for your 12-ounce drinking glasses over 8-ounce ones.
– Alternate other beverages (such as coffee or tea) with a glass of water.
– Consider taking a glass of water before an afternoon snack.
– Sip some water before and during your workout and take a full glass after your exercise.
