When energy flags, many of us rely on tried and tested tips to stay awake - reaching for an energy drink or cup of strong coffee when fatigue starts to invade our waking hours. The trouble is, using caffeine to hold off sleepiness begins a vicious cycle... that jolt can take as long as 8 hours to dissipate which can reduce the time you spend sleeping, change the natural sleep stages and even impact the quality of the sleep you manage to get. Waking tired and dragging fuels the need for caffeine.
Can you combat fatigue without caffeine? You bet! Here are a dozen great, all natural tips that are sure to keep you up and functioning at your best.
1. Get moving - a well-publicized study examined if subjects felt more energized by having a sugary snack or taking a fast walk for ten minutes. The candy gave a quick boost, but participants ended up being more tired an hour later. The walkers got an energy boost for two hours, because exercising like this causes oxygen to pump throughout your whole body.
2. Take a short nap - so long as you only take one, and you don't nap too close (more than 6-7 hours) to your normal bedtime, a 5 to 25 minute nap can do wonders for your flagging energy. Even sitting quietly, keeping your eyes shut for ten minutes can be enough.
3. Rest your eyes - looking at a screen for hours on end can lead to eyestrain and make you feel sleepier. Your best bet is to avert your gaze from the screen every so often to rest your eyes and fight eyestrain.
4. Have a healthy snack - while sweet snacks provide a fast energy boost, which is followed by a crash, a healthy snack will bring you longer lasting energy. Try peanut butter and whole wheat crackers or celery, yogurt with a few nuts or a piece of fruit, baby carrots and a low fat dip are all good choices.
5. Start an engaging conversation - as this will engage your mind. Talk to someone about business, or another engaging topic, as this is a strong behavioral stimulator, particularly if the topic is one you're passionate about.
6. Keep the lights bright - places with dim lighting make feelings of fatigue more pronounced, while studies have found that bright light can cut sleepiness and improve alertness.
7. Do breathing exercises - that is practice deep breathing, as this raises the oxygen levels in your blood, slows you heart rate, reduces blood pressure and increases your circulation. Ultimately this helps your energy level and mental performance. You need to breath into the abdomen (avoiding the chest), breathing deeply though your nose and so that the breath pushes your belly out, not your chest. Breathe out though pursed lips (as though you were whistling) and repeat the exercise ten times.
8. If driving, pull over - if you operate a motor vehicle when sleepy, you are just as dangerous as driving while drunk. Opening the windows or turning up the radio doesn't work for long, so your best bet is to let your passenger drive, or pull over and nap until you don't feel so tired. Also on long drives, stop every two hours and take a walk, stretch and enjoy the fresh air.
9. Avoid monotonous tasks - researchers who studied those working long 12 hour night shifts concluded that carrying out monotonous tasks is just as harmful to alertness as not getting enough sleep. Try to reserve your most stimulating tasks for times when you're tired, or switch to something more engaging if you feel yourself flagging.
10. Drink plenty of water - dehydration can lead to fatigue, so you should ensure you're drinking lots of fluids or eating foods (fruits and veggies) that are naturally full of water.
11. Get out in daylight - the circadian rhythms, the natural regulators of the sleep-wake cycle are impacted by daylight, so you should aim to spend a minimum of 30 minutes during the daytime outside. Even just a few minutes outside in the fresh air will restore your energy, revive your senses.
12. Exercise regularly - a recent study saw that doing exercise was better at improving energy and eliminating daytime fatigue than drugs used to treat sleep issues. Regular exercise can also improve the quality of nighttime sleep. Try for 30 minutes per day, but make sure you complete your workout 2-3 hours before bed, so you're not still energized as you try to fall off to sleep.
If you're finding that you're struggling to keep your eyes open when you should be alert and the tips to stay awake aren't working, talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist. Your symptoms could be a sign of a sleep disorder that will not improve unless you take steps to help yourself.
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