Are you one of those people who survives on will power, a couple of hours sleep and innumerable cups of strong coffee? It may get you through the day, but come sundown, and you wilt. You feel exhausted, irritable, depressed, anxious, you have no appetite and nothing seems right in your world.
Few of us understand, or listen to the signals that our bodies give us. We aren’t aware that our systems are in a constant state of alert, or what’s known as the Fight vs Flight condition. Many natural body functions such as digestion and excretion are put on hold while the body prepares to deal with a real or perceived threat.
This state cannot sustain itself for a long time. While a certain amount of stress is good for us, and helps us to perform well, prolonged exposure can result in:
- Sleep disturbances
- Breathing or skin problems
- Auto-immune diseases
- Digestion problems and ulcers
- Migraine headaches
- Poor concentration and memory power
- Weight gain
- Lifestyle diseases
- Cardiac problems
- Psychological issues such as panic attacks, anxiety or depression
Normal Energy Rhythms
Energy levels do fluctuate during the day in most people. Humans have a body clock just like other living beings on the planet. We respond to light and darkness with an inbuilt circadian rhythm that regulates sleep and waking.
However, lack of adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise can affect the body’s natural energy levels. Over-work in brightly lit spaces is another contributing factor.
If you pay attention to the way your energy levels fluctuate, you may notice that they peak and trough regularly during the day. Every cell in your body needs to work and rest regularly, and this is what causes the ups and downs. Hormones such as cortisol ensure that you’re powered up, while others such as melatonin induce lethargy and sleepiness.
For most people, body temperature and blood pressure rise and fall in regular patterns throughout a 24 hour period. Knowing and recognizing these patterns can help you plan your activities accordingly.
Five Top Tips To Feel Energized All Day
While there’s little we can do about the body’s natural energy cycles, there are many ways in which we can control and harness these rising and dipping levels. There are limits to how much control we have over these factors. They depend on age, sleep, nutrition, the kind of work we do, stress responses, health status and more.
Many people resort to energy supplements or energy booster drinks, special diets, exotic fads, or other external aids to feel more energized. All these have their own limited scope. According to restanddigest.com.au/, there are a few basic ways in which you can certainly boost your energy and keep yourself powered up during the day without paying a price for it down the line.
- Deal With Stress: Pay attention to your mind and body, and become more self aware. This helps you to recognize your own unique stress reactions and strategize how to deal with them. When mental/emotional stress builds up, physical exercise such as going for a run or walk helps to diffuse the stress hormones. Learn simple, instant relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. Yoga, Tai Chi, playing your favorite music, taking a shower, talking to a friend, journaling or gardening are other great ways to bust that stress. Pamper yourself occasionally, learn something new, be more grateful for the good things and be mindful in all that you do.
- Sleep Debt: One of the biggest culprits that sap energy is lack of sleep. You need to figure out exactly how much sleep you need. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can go without sleep for two or three days and make it up by sleeping continuously for 24 hours. It doesn’t work like that. Develop your own bedtime routines, leave your phone outside the bedroom and don’t binge watch television in bed. Dim the lights, ensure that the room is clean, fresh and orderly. Adequate sleep is your energy bank balance, so don’t squander it.
- Eat Right: Hectic work schedules mean that you tank up on junk food, sugary drinks and greasy snacks. Train your family to make healthy, conscious, tasty food choices and provide enough fresh and easy to make options to prevent them from reaching for processed foods. Low glycemic index foods slow down energy release, and can last throughout the day, helping to tide over those energy lows. Use caffeine and high energy foods sparingly and wisely and limit smoking and drinking.
- Stay Hydrated: Our bodies are made of 70% water on an average, though different organs and even our bones contain more or less. Choose water as your preferred beverage instead of sodas or juices. Water carries nutrients, flushes out toxins, maintains your body temperature and protects joints. If you live in a dry or hot climate, you will need more water, but on average, based on age, level of activity and environmental factors, 2-3 liters should be adequate in a day. Dehydration is a huge risk, but the flip side is over-hydration which is also harmful. Keeping yourself well hydrated ensures that you stay energized throughout the day.
- The Role of Social Media: Today, there’s no avoiding being on social media. We are on our phones, laptops, tablets, or wearable devices that keep us connected 24×7. Endlessly scrolling through social media posts is a surefire energy drain. Looking at someone else’s supposedly perfect life, looks, wardrobe and food choices, holiday pictures, perfect homes and amazing hobbies can leave us feeling miserable about our own “sad” and “empty” lives. We are compelled to compete, and if it’s not real, we have to fake it. In the end we feel isolated, lonely, constantly judged, depressed and anxious. Detox from social media for a while and see how your energy levels zoom upwards. Once you recognize this, you can limit your social media interactions to the minimum, avoid negative stuff and use it judiciously to feel self confident, mindful, grateful, kinder and smarter.
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