Life is tiring and hectic. If you have your own family and work alongside taking care of your children, juggling your marriage, social life and what is best for the little ones, keeping yourself healthy at the same time can be hard work and draining. If you don't have a family, then balancing your work life, friendships, relationships, health and adventures can be equally tiring and requires careful planning.
Whatever your lifestyle may be, struggling with fatigue in this day and age is common and is something that many of us have to push through in order to be productive. Many people turn to herbs, vitamins and a variety of other supplements to get by, some mixed with food and drink, but this just covers up the fatigue rather than dealing with it. There is also little evidence to suggest that certain supplements actually work. The best way to improve your energy levels is to adjust your lifestyle to enhance them naturally. If you are struggling with fatigue, here's how to boost your energy.
Call Your Doctor
Before you start trying out techniques to battle your fatigue, you should make an appointment with your doctor to carry out a medical evaluation and tests to make sure that everything is functioning in the correct way. Sometimes, certain health conditions, either physical or mental, can make you feel tired and worn out. Hormonal imbalances can cause fatigue, as well as other problems. For example, if you turn out to have a significantly low level of testosterone in your bloodstream, you may be experiencing decreased motivation, more body fat and a reduced sex drive, as well as sleep issues. Supplements, such as those available on TestoGen can be taken to increase testosterone levels. The products are all-natural, safe and effective, just check out the TestoGen reviews here if you want some added reassurance.
Eat for Energy
Your diet will play a huge part in how energized you feel. In order to keep your energy levels up, you should eat small meals and healthy snacks in between, rather than three large meals throughout the day. This will reduce feelings of fatigue, because your brain will be receiving a regular supply of nutrients throughout the day. Avoiding refined starches and sugars that are absorbed quickly will help you to avoid the lag that typically follows. Instead, you should try eating food that has a low glycemic index, as this will release sugars that your body absorbs at a steady pace. Foods that fall in this category include whole grains and high-fiber nuts, healthy oils and vegetables. In most cases, fats and proteins will have a low glycemic index, whereas carbohydrates have a higher glycemic index.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
Drinking the right volume of water is just as important for your energy levels as eating the right foods. Not many people will link hydration to energy, but it plays a crucial part in the way you function on a daily basis. Water will keep your muscles energized and will improve your brain function. If you are dehydrated, your muscles will become weak and your brain will become impaired. If you are doing any kind of exercise, keeping hydrated before, during and after your workout will improve your performance, which will reflect in your results. On the subject of drinking, in order to minimize fatigue, you should restrict the amount of alcohol you drink. Alcohol is a depressant, which can affect your mood and energy levels. Drinking a lot of alcohol regularly can also have a bad impact on your health.
Don't Overwork Yourself
One of the main reasons people experience fatigue is because they overwork themselves. This can include family, social and professional obligations. Most of the time people overwork themselves to keep other people happy, but you should not push yourself to please others and your health is just as important as the people around you. If the extra pressure in your life is to help your family, then you should reach out to others for help and support. If you are struggling to juggle your social life, then you should learn how to plan things in order to suit your personal needs. If work is pushing you too hard, then you should have a formal and sensible conversation with your boss, ask for extra help and learn how to say no. You should also write out your priorities and simplify your 'must-do' activities.
Reduce Stress Levels
Stress plays a huge role in the way you feel and perform every day. If you are dealing with prolonged stress, then you will notice your energy levels decrease and chronic fatigue. Stress has also been known to disrupt a person's sleep and cause insomnia, which will lead to low energy levels the following day. Emotions that are induced by stress can consume large quantities of energy. Dealing with and reducing stress levels will make you feel more energized in return. You can do so by talking to a loved one, signing up with a support group and/or speaking to a psychotherapist. Taking things into your own hands is important to. For example, trying out relaxation therapies at home, such as yoga, meditation, tai chi and self-hypnosis can be very effective ways to reduce stress levels.
Do More Exercise
We all know how important it is to exercise on a regular basis. It may not seem like something you want to do when you are feeling fatigued, but exercising will guarantee a better sleep, which will make you feel more energized in return. You don't have to do anything too intense, just a brisk walk is a good start. Exercising supplies the cells in your body with extra energy to burn and it will improve oxygen circulation. It also causes your body to release norepinephrine and epinephrine, which are stress hormones that can make you feel energized when released in modest amounts. When you exercise, happy chemicals known as endorphins are released into your body, which improve your mood and reduce stress levels, which will help you rest better at night (as mentioned previously).
Limit Your Sleep
This may sound like something you would not want to do if you are feeling drained and tired, but limiting your sleep may boost your energy levels in return. When people feel sleep deprived, they tend to oversleep in order to catch up on the hours they have missed. However, restricting sleep to the correct number of hours you should be getting will make it easier to fall asleep the following day and will improve your sleep quality. There is no such thing as catching up on sleep. Once you lose those hours, they are gone forever and getting yourself into a proper sleep routine is the only way to fix that. Ways to limit the amount you sleep include avoiding daytime naps and setting alarms to ensure you don't sleep over eight hours. You should aim for seven to eight hours of good quality sleep every night.
Stop Smoking Cigarettes
There are so many negative side effects of smoking, but unfortunately, this highly addictive habit is something that far too many people depend on. We all know the threats associated with our health if we smoke cigarettes on a regular basis, but not many people realize how much smoking can affect your sleep. The addictive compound in cigarettes, called nicotine, is a stimulant found in tobacco. Nicotine will increase your heart rate and blood pressure. It also stimulates brain activity, which is linked to feeling awake, making it harder for a smoker to sleep in return. Once you finally get to sleep, it is not unusual for a smoker to wake up with cravings, which ruins sleep quality, leading to fatigue. Quitting smoking is not an easy process for many, but the benefits will make it worthwhile.
Consume Caffeine Responsibly
Caffeine is a stimulant that many people consume to boost their energy levels. It is great at increasing alertness and sharpening your mind, but this feeling is not a permanent cure for fatigue, it is addictive, and it does not treat the problem - it just covers it up. Caffeine can be used to your advantage, but it can lead to chronic fatigue and insomnia, especially if it is taken in large amounts and later in the day. In order to reduce the risk of developing insomnia from drinking caffeine, you should not consume this compound after 2pm. You should also drink no more than 400mg of caffeine daily. Drinking more than this will not only tamper with your sleep, but too much caffeine can lead to dependency, nausea, nervousness, stomach pain, indigestion, high blood pressure, incontinence, plus more.
As you can see, the most effective way to deal with fatigue is by making permanent and effective changes to your lifestyle. These healthy lifestyle choices will benefit you in more than one way and will improve your quality of life. Changing your habits and incorporating these changes into your lifestyle won't happen overnight, but by pushing yourself, you will see positive results.
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