When you visit the store, you’ll come across various vitamins, herbs, and supplements that claim to enhance your energy levels. Some of these supplements are even added to beverages and foods. However, there is limited scientific proof about the effectiveness of energy boosters like guarana, ginseng, and chromium picolinate. Fortunately, there are nine tips that can help you bolster your innate energy levels.
1. Control Stress
Enormous amounts of energy are expended by emotions brought on by stress. To alleviate stress, one may seek the advice of a friend, family member or psychotherapist or join a support group. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, tai chi, meditation and self-hypnosis can also serve as excellent stress-reducing instruments.
Read More: 11 Ways To Relax Your Mind From Stress
2. Lighten Your Load
Overworking is a significant factor for feeling fatigued, which may involve fulfilling professional, family, and social responsibilities. It’s advised to simplify the list of essential tasks and prioritize the most crucial ones. Discard tasks that are of less importance. If needed, request additional assistance at work.
3. Exercise
Regular physical activity increases the likelihood of having a better quality of sleep, as well as boosting cellular energy levels and oxygen circulation. Moreover, engaging in exercise can stimulate an increase in brain dopamine levels, ultimately promoting an improved mood. When out for a walk, try speeding up at intervals to maximize its health advantages.
4. Avoid Smoking
Smoking not only poses a health risk, but it can also lead to insomnia. The nicotine found in tobacco is a stimulant that raises heart rate, blood pressure, and brain activity associated with staying awake. Consequently, falling asleep becomes difficult, and once you do, cravings from the addictive substance can wake you up.
5. Restrict Your Sleep
To determine if you are sleep-deprived, experiment with getting less sleep. Though it may seem counterintuitive, this can help identify your actual sleep needs and decrease the amount of time you spend lying in bed unable to doze off. Eventually, this will improve the quality of your sleep and facilitate a more restful slumber in the future. Here’s how you can try this approach:
- Avoid napping during the day.
- The first night, go to bed later than normal and get just four hours of sleep.
- If you feel that you slept well during that four-hour period, add another 15–30 minutes of sleep the next night.
- As long as you’re sleeping soundly the entire time you’re in bed, slowly keep adding sleep on successive nights.
6. Eat for Energy
Consuming foods that have a low glycemic index, which means their sugars are gradually absorbed, can prevent the energy slump that commonly follows the consumption of quickly absorbed sugars and refined starches. Whole grains, high-fiber vegetables, nuts, and healthy oils like olive oil are all examples of low glycemic index foods. As a rule, high-carbohydrate foods have the highest glycemic indexes, whereas proteins and fats have glycemic indexes that are near zero.
7. Use Caffeine to Your Advantage
By using caffeine strategically, you can enhance your alertness, making a cup of coffee a good choice to improve mental acuity. However, excessive use of caffeine may lead to problems such as insomnia, particularly if ingested in large doses or consumed after 2 p.m.
8. Limit Alcohol
To prevent the midafternoon slump, it’s best to refrain from consuming alcohol during lunch as its sedative impact is potent during this time. Likewise, if you wish to maintain energy levels in the evening, it’s wise to steer clear of cocktails after 5 pm. If you choose to drink, it’s advisable to do so moderately at a time when you can afford to wind down.
9. Drink Water
The nutrient that has been proven to improve performance in almost all endurance activities, except the most rigorous ones, is water. It is not necessary to buy expensive sports drinks. When the body lacks fluids, tiredness is one of the initial symptoms.
The List: Best Vitamins for Energy Most Recommended by Experts
1. B Vitamins
According to Harvard University, the B vitamins, which consist of eight essential vitamins, are highly recommended for boosting energy and play a crucial role in maintaining good health. They aid in the function of enzymes responsible for facilitating the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats to release energy, breaking down amino acids, and carrying crucial nutrients and oxygen throughout the body.
2. Iron
MVP Family is an organic whole food multivitamin that DOES NOT contain any fillers or binders and DOES contain protein. It provides much needed Vitamin D. Plus, it is CHOCOLATE so no arm-pulling to eat up this essential treat!