11 Tips to Fight Fatigue and Boost Energy

I never looked forward to springtime. Even though there is more sunshine, air is getting warmer and birds start to sing in the morning, none of that would cause joy to me as I’d just feel tired and sleepy all day. If this sounds like you, then these lifestyle and diet tips will make your life so much easier! 

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Good news is that “spring fatigue” is not an illness, but rather a discomfort of fatigue caused by seasonal changes. It’s hard to disagree though that fatigue is really annoying! It makes you feel there’s never enough sleep and being exhausted, unable to concentrate, work, exercise, memorise information or react quickly. It also causes mood swings and even depression, which is definitely not fun.

So what I am going to tell you in this article are the practical and very efficient tips that help deal both with spring fatigue and fatigue in general that can occur at any time of the year. These tips are also advised by doctors to people suffering from CFS and CFIDS to help them feel better and even get rid of these syndromes completely.  So let’s get cracking!

First things first. If your fatigue lasts several weeks, it is a good idea to undergo a medical examination to check your blood hemoglobin level, thyroid and whether you may have an infection.  After all if the cause is known it becomes much easier to treat the symptoms.

Here’s a list of factors contributing to fatigue:

Allergies (food or environmental, including hayfever)
Anemia (low blood hemoglobin)
Bacterial infections
Cancer
Chemical sensitivities
Diabetes
Diarrhea and loss of nutrients as a result
Chronic Pain
Constipation
Depression
Environmental toxicity
Hypoglycemia
Lack of sleep, poor sleep or sleep apnea
Low immunity
Low hydrochloric acid
Low thyroid function
Low adrenal gland function (often due to prolonged stress and overconsumption of sugar)
Lack of rest
Metabolic diseases
Mould sensitivity
Nutritional deficiencies and poor dietary habits
Obesity
Parasite infections
Poor digestion
Progressive diseases
Psychological problems (conflicts at work, family or in a relationship, boredom, overall unhappiness)
Sluggish Liver
Stress (physical or emotional) and anxiety
Substance abuse (caffeine, any energy drinks, alcohol, rancid oils, marijuana and other drugs)
Overworking
Taking antibiotics
Toxicity from the colon, intestinal dysbiosis
Viral infections (acute like cold, flu and hepatitis or chronic like HIV or EBV)
Yeast overgrowth (candida albicans)

1. Listen to Your Body

The starting point for anyone experiencing fatigue… is to get as much physical and mental rest and sleep as possible. Your body is screaming for it, so try to make time to give it what it needs the most! If possible, work less and make time for quality relaxation. Come home after work or uni and, giving yourself a break from domestic duties, change into comfy soft clothes, relax completely and go to bed early.  Simply spending an evening or at least an hour or two in a comfortable horizontal position lying on a sofa or bed is extremely beneficial. If you have a big family, let them know that you feel exhausted and ask for help with kids or house if necessary. Watching a good movie (which is not a horror, thriller or tragic drama), listening to soft relaxing music, taking a warm bath or reading a book are great ways to get your relaxed, but note that browsing internet or playing computer games won’t give you the same amazing results / are very far off from giving the same amazing results / from being as effective. Also, if you have an opportunity to take a nap during the day, definitely take advantage of it! Even simply relaxing with your eyes closed for 10-15 minutes is absolutely fantastic.

As to a proper sleep per night, aim at 8 or more hours of shut eye per night and go to bed early to achieve it.

In the long run, it is imperative that you find a balance between work, play and regular rest. But it all comes with fantastic rewards, which are better productivity at work and emotional and physical wellbeing. 

2. Avoid Foods that Cause Fatigue

Some foods dramatically increase your blood sugar level, which is then followed by a drastic drop (state called hypoglycemia). When this happens, it causes exhaustion, drowsiness and even irritability and mood swings.

These products are those that have high glycemic index (GI) and high glycemic load (GL) and include refined grain based and refined sugar based products such as anything baked from white flour, white rice and rice flour, sweetened breakfast cereal, canned fruit, candies, maple syrup, molasses, couscous, fries and crisps, cakes, cookies, pastries, chocolates and so on. There are also foods that naturally have high GI and GL too: dates, raisins, cooked potatoes and cooked carrots, polenta, corn, rutabaga, spelt.

Soda drinks, energy drinks and lemonades are extremely packed with sugar and artificial junk, so watch out for those.  

Note that skipping meals causes hypoglycemia and fatigue, so taking time to eat a meal when you are hungry definitely pays off!

3. Limit Stimulants and Alcohol 

Things like coffee, tea, chocolate, soda drinks or energy drinks are not magical tools for resolving your problem. They may provide only a temporary fix, but unfortunately after the effect is gone, they only make your fatigue worse. When your body is naturally tired, artificially pushing it to work overtime only deprives it of its energy and vitality reserves that were already quite scant.

Caffeine remain in your body for around 9 hours (and remain up to 14 hours until eliminated from your body completely), so they can greatly interfere with your sleep at night which is the key to replenishing your energy. If a coffee or tea is your most favourite thing in the world, definitely keep it within 1 cup limit per day, exclusive only to the morning time and don’t go for the ‘double shot’ dose. Cutting stimulants out completely is of course ideal.

Alcohol in small amounts and within your daily unit limits is ok only if you feel well and strong. When you experience fatigue and drink alcohol, you put additional workload on your liver and other organs that work to purify your blood from it. This will leave you even more tired. What’s more - your sleep will not be as revitalising and you may wake up at night or an hour before the usual time, exactly because your organism was working instead of resting.
So while you are recovering, it is a good idea to avoid alcohol completely.

Check out some very helpful guides on how to cut down alcohol:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/Tipsoncuttingdown.aspx 
http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/drink-less-alcohol.aspx

4. Get the Right Foods in Your Diet

 

Malnutrition may occur not only when you don’t eat enough food, but also when don’t get enough of essential nutrients. The superheroes that give us strength and stamina are: Magnesium, Iron, and Potassium. Also Iodine, Calcium and vitamins B9, B12 (and to some extent vitamins B1, B3 and B6 too), C, D and E and essential fatty acids are important to fighting fatigue.

To get these minerals and vitamins, incorporate the following products into your diet:

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•    Dark green leafy vegetables kale, watercress, rocket, arugula, mustard greens
•    Simple raw vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, raw carrots, avocado
•    Broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, courgettes and squashes but cooked only slightly
•    Seafood, salmon, sardines, tuna, eggs, lean red meat
•    Wholegrain brown rice, whole rolled oats (non-instant), quinoa, buckwheat
•    Black beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, lima (aka "butter") beans
•    Grapefruit, apples, cantaloupe, kiwi, pears, mango, berries
•    Olive oil, olives, sunflower seeds

In addition:
•    Restrict your salt intake or avoid salt completely
•    Eat regular meals

Note that caffeine, alcohol and sugar (including refined carbs) decrease your magnesium levels. Caffeine and alcohol also greatly interfere with absorption of vitamins and minerals from food.

Vitamin B12, which is known as “red” or “energy” B vitamin, can be obtained exclusively from animal foods. Vegans often suffer from deficiency of this vitamin, so you may need to discuss supplements with your doctor if you are vegan.

What I usually do myself and advise to everyone experiencing bad fatigue is to eat as much raw vegetables as possible. Vegetables and leafy veg should form at least 50% of all foods consumed per day. They are packed with enzymes and phytonutrients, which speed up and balance all processes in your organism. When I feel completely out of energy, I eat raw salads at all mealtimes, even for breakfast. Remember that it is not about calories, but it all boils down to the right nutrients you get from food.  

5. Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of clean filtered water between mealtimes. A glass upon waking up, after exercise and before going to shower, bath or sauna is an absolute must. Staying hydrated fights fatigue quite impressively! Water participates in numerous metabolic processes and transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and helps body get rid of waste material. Human body consists of water by 75%, so water is absolutely crucial for our survival. 

Water requirement for adults can be calculated by multiplying 35mls to body weight in kg.

6. “Pick Me Up” Foods

•    Grapefruit is my favourite trick of all. Eating this fruit in its raw state provides virtually an instant “pick me up” effect and gives you a feeling of being refreshed and revitalised. It is a fantastic drowsiness fighter too!

•    Semi-Smoothie is what I make by blending just a half of fruit with a glass of water. It promotes hydration, without adding too many carbs or extra calories. Try combinations like quarter of a pear and few slices of orange or grapefruit. Few slices of mango and cucumber works also great and is very delicious.

•    Ginger root drunk as tea is a warming herb, stimulates circulation and improves digestion. It also helps with headaches and is a fantastic immune booster!

•    Ginseng works great to relieve physical fatigue and has stress-reducing properties

•    Licorice root drunk as tea is a great balancer. It enhances energy and provides an “up” feeling.

•    Gotu kola provides mental clarity, improves memory and reduces fatigue at the same time.

•    Cayenne pepper  is a spice that you can add to foods and is a natural energy booster.

PRECAUTIONS:

Avoid ginseng root if you have high blood pressure, are pregnant or breastfeeding, suffer from bleeding conditions, auto-immune conditions, hormone-related conditions, heart conditions, diabetes, insomnia, schizophrenia or have undergone an organ transplant surgery.

Avoid licorice root if you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, have undergone or preparing for a surgery, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, suffer from hypokalemia, hypertonia or hormone related conditions (e.g. PCOS).

Avoid gotu kola before and after surgery, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or if you suffer from any kind of liver diseases.

If you are pregnant, please consult your doctor if it is safe for you to add ginger root to your diet.

7. Avoid Fasting or Overeating

Many people try to fight fatigue with detox plans, juicing or fasting. However, these are too far off from being a good idea, because most people suffering from fatigue are more undernourished than they are toxin-loaded. Fasting leads to even more nutrient loss and will only aggravate fatigue. Therefore, focus on rebuilding your energy first.

Overeating and snacking too often is not a good thing either as it puts your inner organs under additional stress. Too much food leads to blood sugar fluctuations (see Nr 2 above), exhaustion and weight gain. You clearly don’t need any of those!

 

8. Exercise… Well, not really! 

You probably read lot of advices on the internet suggesting you to get moving in order to fight fatigue. Well, yes, in the long run, exercise makes you stronger, more energised, helps fight stress and improves sleep. But when your energy levels are too low (for example, CFS or CFIDS), increased physical activity can exacerbate the fatigue and make you feel even more exhausted.

This is interconnected with the point I made in NR 1 – listen to your body. Get adequate rest and sleep first, get your diet in order and only then start moving little by little. Start with stretching exercises, slow low intensity yoga and then if you feel stronger, gradually move on to cardio or higher intensity exercises, such as dancing, pilates, jogging, running or whatever your heart desires. 

9. Get Some Fresh Air

 

 

This one is overlooked too often. Ideally for anyone, at least one hour a day should be spent outside on fresh air (not on a busy high street full of cars and no trees). If you have such opportunity, get out of the house when it is sunny and take a slow walk. If that option is not available, take an evening walk or sit in the garden, even if it is just 10 or 15 minutes. You may also walk part of the route to or from work. When you have a day off, get outside and spend as many hours on fresh air as possible. If you have a family, plan weekend trips together, a picnic in the park or any other outdoor activity. Make use of your garden if you have one.

When you get strong enough to exercise, having workouts on fresh air is absolutely amazing both for your body and mental health. That’s why a morning run is my favourite thing!

10. Address Psychological Problems

Firstly, learn and experiment stress management techniques. (Paul McKenna has a short but very good practical book called “Control Stress: Stop Worrying and Feel Good Now”)

Secondly, put an end to anything that is destroying you. If you need support, speak to your friend or your loved one or seek professional help, such as counselling or cognitive behavior therapy. Remember that no matter how difficult the situation or circumstances are, you always have a choice and there is always a way out.

 

11. Find Something to Look Forward to

 

This works wonders and gives nice mood boost. There’s no need for major things like vacation or an upcoming wedding. Life is composed of little things, so even looking forward to your morning cuppa, watching a movie and seeing a friend can give you positive emotions and expectations. Let yourself be excited about upcoming things and consciously acknowledge and maybe even write down the things you look forward to today or in future. Work on developing optimism and practice gratitude.

If there’s too little joy, think of ways of how increase it in your life. It may be even a treat to yourself from yourself! Set yourself goals, make plans and do more of what makes you feel good in life!

And don’t forget to laugh! Laughter is a natural remedy that is more powerful than most medications out there!