From restless.co.uk
It’s normal to feel tired occasionally; for example, during busy periods at work or when faced with lots of social plans. But, if you’ve been feeling more tired than usual, it’s worth considering ways to help boost your energy levels.
With that said, here are 10 tips to help if you’re feeling tired all the time.
Note: If you’ve been struggling with long-term, unexplained tiredness, it’s important to speak to your GP, as this could indicate an underlying health condition.
1. Choose whole foods over processed ones
Processed foods high in added sugar, like white bread and baked goods, are tempting when you need an energy boost. However, because added sugar causes blood sugar spikes, these foods often result in energy crashes – leaving you feeling even more tired than before.
So, limiting your intake of processed foods and choosing whole foods that are high in protein, fibre, and healthy fats can be beneficial. These foods are digested more slowly and keep blood sugar levels steady to help you stay fuller for longer. Examples include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources like chicken, eggs, beans, and legumes.
For more advice on maintaining energy throughout the day and avoiding sugar crashes, check out our articles: 12 energy-boosting foods and drinks, and What are the best and worst foods to eat at different times of the day?
2. Make sure you’re getting enough iron
A lack of iron can cause iron deficiency anaemia. This is linked with fatigue because we need iron to make haemoglobin – a protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.
If we don’t have enough haemoglobin, our muscles and tissues won’t be able to work effectively, and the heart has to work harder to pump oxygen-rich blood around the body – all of which can deplete energy.
Some of the best sources of iron include red meat, fish, nuts, seeds, dark green leafy vegetables, and fortified breakfast cereals. It can also be helpful to monitor your vitamin C intake, as vitamin C has been shown to enhance iron absorption.
For further guidance, check out our article: Iron – what it is, why it’s important, and how to make sure you’re getting enough in your diet. If you’re concerned about your iron levels, it’s worth speaking to your GP who can arrange a blood test.
3. Be mindful of your caffeine intake
While a cup of tea or coffee might be your first port of call for an energy boost, drinking too much caffeine can make you feel more tired in the long run.
Our bodies rapidly absorb caffeine. In fact, research suggests that caffeine typically reaches its highest levels in our bloodstream within an hour of consuming it. However, while you might feel more alert at first, caffeine’s effects can soon wear off and leave you tired again.
There’s also evidence that drinking too much caffeine can cause people to build up a tolerance and no longer feel its effects.
For example, this study looked at the effects of continuous caffeine intake on the exercise performance of physically active adults. At the beginning of the study, the participants had higher heart rates and exerted greater cycling force after drinking caffeine. However, after 15 days, the effects of caffeine began to decrease.
Drinking too much caffeine can also disrupt sleep, so experts recommend having no more than five cups a day and avoiding it late in the afternoon.
4. Consider having smaller, more frequent meals
If you often feel tired after eating a big meal, you might find it better to eat smaller, more frequent meals.
Eating little and often can help keep your blood sugar levels stable and reduce food cravings for processed foods.
If overeating is something you struggle with, many people find that taking a mindful and intuitive approach helps them tune into their natural hunger signals. Check out our article, 9 tips to prevent overeating and encourage portion control, for further guidance.
5. Stay hydrated
Not drinking enough water can make you feel tired because blood pressure levels drop when dehydrated, which can lead to poor circulation and reduced blood flow to the brain.
In this study, when people who weren’t drinking enough water increased their intake, they felt more energised. Similarly, people who lowered their water intake reported feeling less calm, satisfied, and positive, and more fatigued.
If you’d like to up your water intake, you might find it useful to read our articles: 10 tips for staying hydrated and why it’s important and 9 healthy and hydrating alternatives to water.
6. Improve your sleep quality
Perhaps the most obvious reason you might feel tired all the time is that you’re not getting enough sleep.
According to the NHS, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. However, it’s not only how much sleep you’re getting that’s important, but also its quality.
There are five stages of sleep. Getting enough of all five allows the body to perform several important processes – including repairing and regenerating cells – that help us feel awake and energised the following day.
If you’ve been struggling to fall or stay asleep recently, head over to our sleep and fatigue section. Here, we have articles on everything from coping with insomnia to common age-related sleep conditions.
Or, why not sign up for the virtual Sleep Better Clinic on Rest Less Events? It’s designed to help you rest, relax, and achieve better sleep.
7. Make sure you’re getting enough essential vitamins and minerals
Our bodies rely on many vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and function properly – and some are particularly important for helping us stay energised. This includes vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium, which are involved in processes like breaking down food for energy and transporting oxygen around the body.
For example, in this study, 77.2% of patients with chronic fatigue had low vitamin D levels.
Check out our article 11 vitamins and minerals to help with tiredness and fatigue, or browse our essential vitamin and mineral guides for more information. If you’re concerned about your vitamin and mineral levels, it’s important to speak to your GP.
8. Find ways to relax
Stress is a normal part of life, and we need a certain amount to stay healthy. For example, research has found that short-term stress can improve brain function and strengthen the immune system.
However, long-term, chronic stress can be harmful to health and leave us feeling run down. For example, this study found a strong correlation between work-related stress and fatigue.
Stress can also disrupt sleep and increase the risk of insomnia and depression, which are closely linked to fatigue.
If you’d like to take steps to manage your stress levels, have a read of our articles: 9 simple stress-relieving activities and 7 tips for coping with stress and anxiety.
9. Check in with your mental health
A lot of mental health conditions are known to affect energy levels, so if you’ve been feeling more tired than usual recently, it’s worth checking in with yourself.
The NHS recognises tiredness as a physical symptom of many mental health conditions. And this report found that more than 90% of people with severe depression experience fatigue.
If you’ve been struggling with depression or anxiety recently, we have a collection of articles in our healthy mind section that you might find helpful. We also have information on counselling and therapy if you feel this is something you may benefit from. It’s important to remember you’re not alone and to reach out for help if you’re struggling.
Note: If you tend to experience more tiredness and mental health dips during winter, it’s worth considering whether you could be affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is sometimes known as ‘winter depression’, which is a type of depression that comes and goes seasonally. Just like general depression, it can also cause feelings of tiredness.
10. Take steps to sync your circadian rhythm
The circadian rhythm is the body’s internal clock. It runs on a 24-hour cycle and promotes essential body functions and processes, such as eating, waking, and sleeping.
When properly aligned, the circadian rhythm encourages us to fall asleep and wake up at times in the day that support a healthy lifestyle. However, environmental factors can impact the sleep-wake cycle and throw it out of sync.
This is because melatonin – the hormone responsible for regulating the body’s sleep-wake cycle – is influenced by light. When it’s dark, melatonin production increases and signals to the brain that it’s time to sleep; and when it’s light, production stops and alertness increases.
This is why you might struggle to fall asleep after spending time on an electronic device just before bed.
Not only can an out-of-sync circadian rhythm lead to problems like insomnia, but it can also cause you to feel tired during the day in general.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to help regulate your circadian rhythm, including regular exercise, limiting evening screen time, and establishing a consistent bedtime routine.
To find out more, check out our article: Everything you need to know about melatonin and the circadian rhythm.
Final thoughts…
It’s normal to feel tired now and again, but if you’ve noticed a change in your energy levels recently, it’s worth considering why.
The good news is that from reducing stress levels to upping your intake of energy-boosting nutrients, there are various ways to help beat tiredness.
For further reading, check out our general health section. Here, you’ll find information on everything from ways to boost your immune health to important health checks for over-50s.
Note: If you’ve been struggling with long-term unexplained tiredness, it’s important to speak to your GP, this could be indicate an underlying health condition.
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