Do you have that 3pm slump where you are completely zapped of energy? What depletes your energy? Whatever the cause, here are some simple solutions that will help you fight fatigue and boost your energy so you can tackle whatever your schedule calls for.
Six supplements that I recommend people take to boost their energy are:
- The first thing to make sure that you have as part of your daily regimen is a high quality multivitamin/mineral complex. It should have a broad range of B vitamins because these really help the body not only handle stress better but also produce more energy. B5, or panthothenic acid and B12 or cobalamin are particularly important.
- Vitamin C is also another important vitamin which helps to keep our immune system strong. During periods of stress our adrenal gland needs more vitamin C to make the proper stress hormones which is very important to make sure that our energy stays consistent during the entire day
- Spirulina is a blue green algae. It’s a complete protein that has excellent energy enhancing properties. It comes in a powdered form so you can add it to water or your favorite drink.
- L carnitine is an amino acid and is naturally found in protein food sources like red meat, chicken, turkey, and lamb. What L-carnitine does is help to boost metabolism by transporting fat into our cells where it is burned to make energy.
- Omega 3 fish oil is essential to brain development and function so it helps your ability to focus and helps to improve your concentration.
- Green Tea taken as a supplement or simply as a drink is great for that extra boost of energy not simply because it contains caffeine but more importantly it has a nutrient called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) which not only is a powerful antioxidant but it helps to increase and improve our metabolism.
GENERAL MEASURES TO HELP FIGHT FATIGUE
The big categories in our life that really help with improving our energy are food, sleep and environment. Eating the right foods is just as important as getting enough sleep. Here are some tips that will help boost your energy:
FOOD
- Avoid sugar, and any “white” foods. By that I mean, white flour foods like muffins, donuts, white pasta, white rice, because these will give you an energy burst initially but you will simply crash an hour later and this is the reason a lot of people feel sleepy after they’ve eaten such foods. So instead focus on a good balance of protein, brown carbohydrates which are your complex carbohydrates or whole grains and vegetables as well as good quality fats.
- Don’t skip breakfast. I’m sure you’ve heard this tip a number of times but it is an important one because many people still are rushing out the door in the mornings and don’t have time for breakfast and pay for it by eating filling up the “white” foods that I had mentioned for lunch which will lead to fatigue a few hours after. A quick breakfast that is nutritious and simple to make is a protein shake and what I recommend and we now carry at Pharmasave is the Vega One all in one nutritional shake that has 50% of your daily intake of vitamins and minerals in one serving. Or pumpkin seed butter is a great source of protein and omega 3 fats and you can spread that on whole grain toast.
- Keep your body hydrated by drinking 8 glasses of water a day. This is important especially as we enter the summer months as dehydration is one of the main reasons that people are fatigued. Water helps transport energy giving nutrients and helps oxygenate the blood so if you take one tip away from this, it would be to increase your water intake and you should see a boost in your energy.
SLEEP
Everyone should aim to get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night if you want to keep your body, your immune system healthy. In fact, at this range of sleep, you can expect to manage stress better, and even help to improve memory and concentration. Three quick tips I can recommend to ensure that you can make this happen would be:
- Thirty minutes before bed, clear your mind, turn off all electronic devices, and get your body ready to fall asleep.
- Keep your room dark and quiet and don’t bring any work and papers into your bedroom. You need the darkness in order for our sleep hormone, melatonin to be released and we need melatonin in order to get a good restful sleep so this is really important.
- Routine is really important so try and go to bed at the same time each day and wake up at the same time. Even on the weekends, try and wake up and sleep within an hour or two of the schedule you keep on the weekdays and this will really help you overall with fighting that fatigue.
ENVIRONMENT
Just by modifying a few things in your environments, you can really boost your energy. Whether it’s at your desk at work, or at home, or if you spend a lot of time in your car, you may be really surprised at the enormously energizing effect of modifying your environment. Here are three tips:
- Surround yourself with warm colors like yellow, orange and red as these send impulses to the brain to boost your energy. Apparently, the electromagnetic waves of yellow are the most energizing so you could add a plant with yellow flowers, a painting, pottery, or a poster with warm colors and that should really spike your energy.
- Scents are another thing in your environment that you can modify to help stimulate wakefulness. Pleasant scents stimulate a nerve in the body that triggers this wakefulness so you can keep a basket of oranges or lemons or a mint plant and breathe in its aroma.
- Wear headphones and listen to energizing music of your choice. This is a great way to eliminate energy sapping sounds in your environment. Listen to music with gentle rhythms like that of the piano or flute, without lyrics or loud drums.
QUICK TIPS
Here are some suggestions that you can do right at 3pm when you are feeling that energy dip and need an instant “pick me up”:
- Get some sun – vitamin D really helps to boost your energy.
- A lot of people feel more energetic after taking a hot bath or shower.
- Take a brisk 10 minute walk as this can energize you for 2 hours. It’s recommended to take a total of three of these brief walks a day to keep your energy levels constant. Exercise really helps to refill your body’s fuel tank and oxygenate your blood cells. If you are really depleted, then start with an exercise routine that includes yoga or tai chi and then gradually build up your energy and your aerobic exercise capacity.
- A brief 60 second moment for yourself where you close your eyes and breathe deeply can help.
ENERGY DRINKS – IS IT WORTH CONSUMING THESE?
Energy drinks are formulated and recommended for people who are looking for that additional mental and physical stimulation for short periods of time and they claim to restore energy and alertness. It’s very important to read the label, because it’s here that you’ll find the recommended use, and dosage and who the energy drink is intended for, what the cautions are and the list of medicinal and non medical ingredients. However, even with this information, it’s easy to get confused so the key facts are this:
- Energy drinks contain, among the vitamins and minerals, herbals and amino acids, two key ingredients which are sugar and caffeine. They contain caffeine ranging in the amount of 50-200mg per can which is about two cups of coffee. To give you an idea a cup of roasted coffee is 180mg, an iced cap is 100mg, tea is about 50mg and a cola drink is 30mg.
- Teens are the largest group that use energy drinks.
- Children and adolescents are found to be the most at risk of exceeding the recommended maximum daily intake for caffeine.
- The maximum number of cans that a person should consume of an energy drink is 2 cans a day.
- Energy drinks are not recommended for children and teens, pregnant and breastfeeding women and people who are sensitive to caffeine.
- Energy drinks acutally have hidden sources of caffeine listed as some herbal ingredients like green tea extract or guarana, which is actually 40mg of caffeine. It is listed simply as an ingredient but not with its corresponding caffeine content.
- Side effects of too much caffeine include lack of concentration, vomiting, shaking, trouble sleeping, muscle cramps, headache, irregular heart beat, nervousness and dehydration.
- Energy drinks shouldn’t be confused with sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade. These drinks actually rehydrate the body and replenish electrolytes as well as provide sugars which the body burned in order to create energy. So use sports drinks before, during and after exercise but when it comes to energy drinks, these really shouldn’t be used before or during exercise as the safety of caffeine in combination with the herbal supplements prior to or during exercise still needs to be established.
- The herbal products in energy drinks claim to individually do a lot of different things such as improve endurance, increase energy, enhance physical performance, promote weight loss, but there is still insufficient evidence as to whether the actual herb is performing the action or it is due to the caffeine content and that is contributing to the action.
- Energy drinks should not be mixed with alcohol as they reduce the depressant effect of alcohol like fatigue and enhance the feel good buzz which can cause individuals to overlook the debilitating effects of intoxication because they have this sensation of being alert. Also, both caffeine and alcohol act as diuretics which can lead to dehydration and adverse cardiovascular events.
All in all, as long as you are not a child, teen, pregnant or breast feeding or sensitive to caffeine, and you stay within the two can a day limit, and you do not mix them with alcohol, energy drinks can be used in moderation but there are a whole host of better options to try to boost your energy before you reach for an energy drink.
Article written by Shabita Teja, Pharmacist.