As winter gets closer the mornings become increasingly dark and cold and you might notice a slight drop in your energy levels. Is it really seasonal? Or is there something else going on?
Are you eating the right food and taking the right vitamins? If you want to find out more how to pump your energy level up, then keep on reading!
Why am I tired?
Being tired can happen to everyone and should; fatigue is natures way of saying that it’s time to rest. But what if you’re tired all the time? There are plenty of reasons why this could be the case, and the most common are
- living a stressful lifestyle
- not eating the right foods thus depriving your body of essential vitamins and minerals
- not getting enough good sleep
So, to examine each of these further detail
Sleep
Everyone needs to sleep. But there is a huge difference between any old sleep and restorative, deep sleep. Continuous, restless, disturbed sleep will cause you to wake up even more tired the following morning. Most of us need 7-8 hours of sleep every night. To help bring on restorative sleep, don’t eat anything heavy for dinner or drink water before going to bed. Also, try to avoid alcohol, using your phone, computer or watching TV a couple of hours before bedtime.
Let me see your plate!
You can tell a lot by checking out people’s eating habits and another way of increasing your energy levels are to ensure you consume healthy, energy providing food. We recommend
- Water – well, technically it’s not food, but it still makes it to number 1 on our list of recommendations. 60% of our body is water and it’s essential to consume plenty of it for a good-healthy body. That’s why doctors often ask “How much water do you drink?” If you’re not a water person, then customise it! Add some lemon/ lime/cucumber or any fruit you like and the magic is done. You’ll have healthy infused water. that you’ll enjoy drinking.
- Seeds and nuts – yes, they are full of protein, minerals and fats, but the healthy ones. We’re not saying eat a whole bag of nuts, just a handful a day. Or, whenever your tempted to snack on your chocolate cookie, substitute it with to some healthy, unsalted nuts. They make a massive difference to brain function. And if you don’t like eating them by themselves, then add them to the top of a salad or put some peanut butter in your smoothie.
- Whole grains – that means brown ones. Choosing whole grain rice/pasta will give your body enough fuel to be energetic whilst also feeling full for a longer period of time than the refined white versions. It’s a small change but can make a significant difference.
A Question of Vitamins
It’s essential to consume a combination of all vitamins and minterals, however, the one that can make the biggest difference to energy levels is vitamin is B12 and this is because it helps to transform food into energy.
The best way to increase your Vitamin B12 intake is to eat more fish, meat, eggs, dairy, and the many fortified foods that contain a high level of Vitamin B12. If you are vegetarian or vegan you can find some Vitamin B12 in some soy products but the common advice in this case is to take a supplement.
We hope our top tips will help you to leave those ‘I am sooo tired!!” days far behind, irrespective of the season and help you feel energised and recharged!
Found this blog informative and useful then you might like to read the one we wrote about Vitamin D here.
Did you enjoy our blog, got your own advice about staying energised? Leave your feedback here!
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