How to Increase Your Energy Levels: Expert Advice
Medically reviewed by our experts
Are you having a hard time keeping your energy levels up? Are you feeling run down and tired most of the time, and do you have a tough time just rolling out of bed in the morning? If you do, you aren’t alone. Quite a few people have this problem, and they want to know how to increase energy levels, so they can start to feel normal once again.
A lot of people feel as though they are walking through a waking, foggy dream for much of the day. They try to find methods of coping with their fatigue, such as eating sugar to stay awake or drinking caffeine. However, those are only short-term fixes, not solutions to your fatigue problem. You will continue to feel sluggish and slow until you make some changes in your life.
Below, you’ll learn more about what could be causing these feelings, some of the symptoms of fatigue, and how to increase your energy level. The sooner you recognize the problem, the sooner you can do something about it.
What Causes Low Energy Levels?
There is not just a single cause of low energy levels. Countless issues might be a factor causing people to become fatigued during the day. Below, we will be touching on some of the most common issues. You may notice that one or more of these issues could be playing a part in your fatigue. Once you realize the cause, it often becomes easier for you to find a fix.
Some of the most common symptoms of fatigue include a lack of motivation, problems focusing and learning, trouble concentrating, headaches, and feelings of drowsiness. You might also feel as though your muscles are sore and tired, sometimes even without working out. Slowed reaction time and stomach problems could develop, too. Many who are dealing with fatigue feel moody and irritable, and even after they sleep, they don’t feel better.
Poor Diet
You know the old phrase, “you are what you eat” right? There is a lot of truth in that saying. Let’s talk about some of the ways that your diet could be affecting your energy levels.
Eating too much can cause you to feel tired, particularly when you are eating a lot of heavy foods, and may also contribute to postprandial sleepiness, commonly known as the “food coma”. Once you are finished eating, your body starts to digest all of that food, and it can make you feel lethargic.
This and eating too many processed carbohydrates can cause instability in your blood sugar levels. This will end up leaving you tired, and often feeling like you still want to eat… which can lead to weight gain.
Some people aren’t overeating, but they aren’t eating the right amount of protein. Not having enough protein in your diet will slow your metabolism and could cause your energy levels to dip.
Not eating enough food, in general, is a problem for some people, such as those with anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by a persistent restriction of food intake. However, it is important to eat enough because the body needs those calories for fuel to function properly.
Without it, your metabolism will slow, you won’t be getting enough nutrients, and you will end up tired for most of the day. Make sure you are eating but eat the right foods. This means fresh fruit and vegetables, healthy proteins, and whole grains.
Dehydration
Just as you need to eat well, you also need to be sure you are drinking enough water. Your body continually loses water through normal functions throughout the day. if you aren’t replenishing with fresh water, it could cause you to feel tired. You may also find that you have a lot more trouble staying focused.
Not Getting Enough Sleep
We live in a truly busy world today, and it can sometimes seem as though there aren’t enough hours in the day. This causes a lot of people to stay up later at night than they should just to get things done. Others are laying in bed and watching videos on their phones rather than sleeping. Some might have feelings of anxiety or depression that are keeping them up.
Regardless of the reason for the sleeplessness, you will want to try to fix the issue sooner rather than later. Chronic sleep deprivation can impair cognitive function and increase the risk of developing health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and depression. A good night’s sleep is invaluable.
Stress
Everyone is dealing with some amount of stress today. However, when that stress is chronic and becomes too much to handle, it can lead to a host of problems in your life. One of those issues is fatigue. Stress has the potential to drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally. It will affect how you feel and how you see the world around you.
You should try to find ways you can reduce the levels of stress you are feeling and find ways to manage it. Doing so could help you reduce your levels of fatigue.
Health Issues
Sometimes, you are tired because of an underlying health issue that you may or may not even realize is causing the problem. Many health problems can cause fatigue including diabetes, heart issues, and depression. In those cases, you will want to talk with a doctor about getting the help needed to deal with those underlying causes of the fatigue.
How to Increase Your Energy Levels
When learning how to increase energy levels, you will find that you can do a few relatively simple things that can help. Even though they might seem simple, a lot of people have a hard time committing to these changes in their lives. However, it could end up being the best thing for you.
Improve Nutrition and Supplement Intake
Consider the types of food you are eating. Nutrient-rich foods will provide you with the fuel you need, but as we mentioned earlier, you need to eat right. Remember to keep away from processed foods and refined sugars and carbs. Those will only give you false, fleeting energy.
Some foods that could potentially help you boost your energy levels include nuts, seeds, fatty fish, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, dark chocolate (in moderation), and beans.
Change Lifestyle and Get More Exercise
Remember to get enough sleep each night and find ways to handle your stress better. Exercise is good not just for helping lose weight and keep you in shape, but also for dealing with stress.
Adding some more exercise each day could help you improve your energy levels. Stay hydrated, but drink water not caffeine-filled beverages. Don’t smoke, limit the amount of alcohol you drink, and get out and about, so you can enjoy your day.
Make healthy lifestyle changes, and they can help improve your health. This will, in turn, help with your fatigue levels.
Include Supplements
In addition to the methods mentioned above, you will want to take the supplements for energy from PureHealth Research.
Final Thoughts
At this point, you have a good understanding of what could be causing fatigue, its symptoms, and how to boost your energy levels. The tips and information above can provide you with simple and effective ways of getting your energy back. Of course, even when you apply these tips, you may find that you are still feeling fatigued.
If you find that your chronic fatigue can’t be remedied using natural methods, you should talk to your doctor. Sometimes, as mentioned earlier, issues with your health could be the cause, and you may need to get some medical help for the condition. A doctor can examine you to check on your health and to see what underlying medical issues could be causing your fatigue problems.
The doctors may need to provide you with other treatments that will help you deal with those specific medical conditions first. When those medical issues are managed, you may find that your energy levels start to go up again. You can then use this information on how to increase energy levels to build your energy even further.
Low energy levels can be caused by poor diet, dehydration, lack of sleep, stress, and underlying health issues like diabetes or heart problems.
Improve your diet with nutrient-rich foods, stay hydrated, get enough sleep, manage stress, exercise regularly, and consider taking supplements for energy.
Common symptoms include lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, headaches, muscle soreness, slowed reaction time, and drowsiness.
Consult a doctor if your fatigue is persistent, severe, or not relieved by lifestyle changes, as it may indicate an underlying health issue.
Nuts, seeds, fatty fish, leafy greens, whole grains, dark chocolate (in moderation), and beans can help boost energy levels.
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