If you are anything like me after the events of 2020 and 2021, you may have found yourself lacking in motivation and energy to do just about anything other than get up in the morning – and even that may be troublesome at times.
However, things are slowly starting to calm down, and places are slowly beginning to open up around the world. This may be the best time for you to start looking at picking things up again as the world takes its first tentative steps back to normalcy.
Scrounging up that energy may be difficult at first, but in this article, we’ll cover some ways you can change little things in your lifestyle to increase your energy levels in natural ways.
Spend Energy To Get Energy
Regular exercise provides several health benefits, from reducing the effects of chronic diseases, increasing overall fitness, and most importantly for us, increasing energy levels.
It may seem counterintuitive at first, but spending most time sitting or lying around can wind up causing you to feel much more tired at the end of the day. This is especially true when you already feel tired and think that getting up to move around feels like torture.
You don’t need to take part in extensive workout routines to increase your energy levels if all you want at the end of the day is to feel a little more energized. If you were to start cycling lightly or walking regularly, you might find that all that unexplained fatigue will be significantly lessened.
Find ways to incorporate light exercises into your day, like getting up from your desk for a five or ten-minute walk, stretching or doing some light yoga at regular intervals, or trading out driving for walking when it’s practical.
Limit Substance Abuse
Intaking substances such as alcohol or cigarettes can have adverse effects on your health. Smoking, in particular, is especially harmful, as it can not only cause but greatly exaggerate the impact of lung cancer, heart disease, and strokes.
The toxins contained within cigarettes are the main culprit when we look at reducing our energy levels. The toxins get inside your lungs and significantly reduce the efficiency of your lungs’ ability to transfer oxygen into the body. This reduction of oxygen in your blood makes you feel sluggish and tired as a smoker.
After quitting smoking or switching to less harmful alternatives such as nicotine patches and reducing the smoke in your lungs, you’ll find your energy levels will very quickly begin to rise.
Likewise, alcohol can also inhibit your energy levels quite a bit. Alcohol is a natural sedative and will end up making you feel drowsy, which is why many people have a “nightcap” before they go to sleep to help them sleep better. However, regular alcohol intake can interfere with the quality of the sleep you get, making you feel even more tired than you would otherwise.
More so, alcohol is a diuretic that can cause your bladder to become far more active, disturbing your sleep even further. Try and stick within the daily recommended intake if you are set on drinking alcohol, and preferably not drinking close to your bedtime. Limiting alcohol as much as possible is even better.
Get Good Sleep
When you are tired and weary, your first instinct is to get some rest and to relax—giving your body that time it needs to replenish itself, so you have the energy to keep going in the day.
Sleep is often something put to the side and not considered a priority when you have other pressing matters to get to, such as chores, assignments, projects, and even hobbies and downtime we want to spend doing other things we enjoy. This is especially true when we’re behind on some work and need to get it done ASAP, so we shave off a few hours of sleep to get that work done.
The stress of being behind and wanting to get work done will make you feel more tired, as we’ll touch on in the next section, but a poor sleep schedule can significantly impact how exhausted you feel. A lack of necessary sleep leaves you feeling grumpy and lazy and can leave you feeling sleepy during the day. Try and get seven to eight hours of sleep per night.
Additionally, the quality of your sleep is essential. Sleeping more isn’t always the best option if the quality of your sleep is lackluster. Properly winding down and getting ready for bed can help your body get ready for deep sleep so you can get proper rest. Avoid screens from your computer or smartphone, and take part in slow and relaxing activities, like taking a bath, practicing breathing exercises, or meditating. Meditation and mindfulness will also improve sleep quality if you are losing quality sleep because of stress.
Reduce The Impact Of Stress
Our lives are busier than ever nowadays, and it’s very easy to become stressed out and overwhelmed. Extended periods of stress can have incredibly adverse effects on your physical and mental health. You might experience hypertension, the inability to focus, and extreme fatigue.
Your brain’s inability to properly “switch off” will also be impacted when it’s stressed. This, in turn, affects how much good quality sleep you can get, leading to feeling additionally exhausted.
It’s practically impossible to remove all sources of stress from our lives, thanks to work, the news, and other things weighing down on us. But learning to manage this stress will significantly help make you feel more satisfied and fulfilled and boost your energy levels. Meditation and mindfulness are excellent ways to manage stress, and taking time to relax by reading or going for a walk can also help.
If your stress or anxiety is more acute, you may want to seek medical or psychological help to get additional support.
Conclusion
Many things impact our general energy levels throughout the day nowadays. It’s easy to become swallowed up and fall into a state of lethargy where even getting up in the morning can be difficult. But using some of these tips above can help give you a slight boost and change small things in your lifestyle for the better.
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