Do you wake up in the morning feeling like you didn’t get any sleep? Do you drag yourself out of bed already looking forward to the moment when you’ll crawl back into it in the evening? Does fatigue affect your mood and productivity?
Well, if that sounds like you, know that you’re not alone. According to the New York Post, almost half of the surveyed Americans claim they feel sleepy during the day, from three to seven days a week.
Feeling tired is much more than mere statistics. Even though it is not an alarming medical condition, it can lead to other problems with your mental and physical health. Furthermore, the same research from above shows that tired people behind the wheel cause more than 6,000 car crashes a year in the United States.
You shouldn’t accept unexplained tiredness as an unavoidable thing and allow it to have a huge impact on the quality of your life. You can fight back. Here are some things you can do to get your energy back and feel better.
Rule out Medical Problems
Fatigue can be a symptom of a variety of medical conditions, including diabetes, kidney disease, sleep apnea, heart conditions, anemia, and hypothyroidism. Before you decide on tackling fatigue with some energizing practices, you’ll want to check whether you are curing the symptom rather than the disease. If the tiredness is chronic or experienced frequently, it’s best to make an appointment with your general practitioner to rule out a medical cause. This is especially important when tiredness is followed by other symptoms, such as aching muscles, slowed reflexes, dizziness, and headache.
Check Your Medications
Fatigue is a common side effect of both over-the-counter and prescription medicines. This happens because drugs affect neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain), including the ones that control how sleepy you feel. Some of the most common medications that can make you feel tired are antidepressants, antihistamines, blood pressure medication, anxiety drugs, muscle relaxants, pain medication, and epilepsy medication. If the period when you started feeling tired matches with the time when you started taking a new treatment, you should tell your doctor. If you are taking an over-the-counter drug, ask the pharmacist if there is a “non-drowsy” alternative.
Change Your Mattress
When was the last time you changed your mattress? When you bought it, did you check its supportiveness, firmness, temperature regulation, and build, making sure it matches your sleep habits? If you are not getting enough sleep, feeling tired, or waking up with back pain, maybe your mattress is failing you. Consider replacing it with a foam, innerspring, hybrid, or latex mattress.
As for firmness, your choice will depend on how you sleep and your weight. For example, extra soft mattresses are best for side sleepers under 130 pounds, while the extra firm work for stomach and back sleepers over 230 pounds. Also, don’t neglect the size of the mattress. Many tall sleepers sleep poorly because their legs hang over the ends of the bed during the night, making them feel uncomfortable. If this applies to you, check for the differences between King and California King mattresses, as you will find the latter more appropriate for tall users.
Drink up
Fatigue can be a sign of dehydration. Water is essential for proper functioning, and we are constantly losing it through sweat, breathing, and uring. Being low on fluids makes your body weaker than usual. To prevent that, you should drink an average of eight glasses of water a day, at least. Don’t make the mistake of grabbing a glass only when you feel thirsty. The moment you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. In addition to drinking water, you should also consume a sufficient amount of water-filled food (vegetables, fruits, soup) and beverages, such as tea.
Move It, Move It
While it may sound illogical to be active when you are feeling tired, exercising actually improves your vigor and boosts your energy. One study has shown that people who regularly dealt with fatigue increased their energy levels by 20 percent and decreased their fatigue by 65 percent once they started participating in a low-intensity exercise program.
You don’t have to hit the gym for effective energy replenishment. Simple activities such as stretching, jogging, climbing up the stairs, walking, and cycling can do wonders for your energy levels. If you are into something more challenging but equally or more effective, you can try swimming, aerobics, or high-intensity workouts.
While almost any physical activity can be useful to combat fatigue, yoga has some special benefits. It not only relaxes and stretches your body but also helps you deal with stress, which is a significant factor in sleep disturbances and tiredness.
Establish a Bedtime Routine
Lack of sleep is the leading cause of daytime tiredness. Sleep is not something that should be sacrificed — not for work, not for social life, not for fun. It is essential for your health. If you need to wake up early, you should go to bed early. Seven to nine hours of sleep is the norm for adults.
If you are having trouble falling asleep earlier than usual, try to ease yourself into it by creating a bedtime routine. Take a warm shower before bedtime, get rid of any digital distractions, practice deep breathing, and read a book. Doing the same things every night will help train your mind to get ready for sleep.
Eat for Energy
The whole point of food is to replenish your energy. However, some types of food, like fried and processed, will do just the opposite. Eating smaller portions of minimally processed foods more frequently will help reduce fatigue. Some of the foods you should include in your diet plan are seasonal fruits and vegetables, fish, whole grains, complex carbs, and lean proteins.
In Closing
Fatigue shouldn’t be a normal consequence of the modern way of life — no matter how busy you are and how much you’ve got going on, being constantly tired is no way to function. Keep that in mind and make replenishing your energy levels a priority. Stand up to chronic fatigue and say — No more!
About The Author
Sarah is a life enjoyer, positivity seeker, and a curiosity enthusiast. She is passionate about an eco-friendly lifestyle and adores her cats. She is an avid reader who loves to travel when time allows.