Every day, 85% of people in America consume at least one caffeinated beverage. This is understandable as they are effective at boosting energy as well as improving mood.
However, consuming energy drinks can have many negative health effects. The drug can cause nervousness and irregular heartbeats. In addition, the sugar contained in many of these drinks can induce dental decay.
If you are concerned about these negative health effects but still feel exhausted during the day, don’t worry. There are plenty of other ways that you can increase energy levels without having to consume caffeine. Read on to learn five of these methods.
1. Exercise to Increase Energy Levels
At first, this may seem counter-intuitive. Don’t people feel even more tired after swimming, running, lifting weights, etc.?
Yes, people do feel tired after they exercise. However, they can also feel a lot more energized as well. This is especially the case after they’ve been exercising for some time.
Here are some ways in which regular exercise can help you feel less tired.
It Wakes You Up
Are you looking for a great pick-me-up to replace that morning coffee? Try doing some exercise right after you wake up.
This may sound crazy, but science has proven that exercise can create alertness in the mind. Experts have found that aerobic exercise triggers the mind to create endorphins and raise your core body temperature. Both of these processes cause the mind to feel more awake and alert.
It Helps You Sleep
Yes, exercise can help you both stay alert and feel tired enough to sleep. Experts have proven that people who exercise 30 minutes a day will experience a beneficial change in their sleep patterns.
The key is to be careful about the time when you sleep. Getting up after struggling with sleep, doing some jumping jacks, and then getting back to bed won’t help you sleep. It will only make you feel more awake.
However, if you finish your exercise routine before the 1 to 2-hour timespan before bed, you should sleep fine.
2. Reduce Stress
Stress causes exhaustion in a few different ways. When you feel frightened or frustrated about something, your body will interpret it as a threat to your survival. It will then attempt to energize you with a surge of hormones.
Once those hormones run their course, your body’s energy levels can crash.
Also, your body may sense your fear and worry as you try to sleep. It can then energize you. This will cause you to get less sleep than you need and leave you tired.
It’s best to find ways to relax when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Below, you can find a few options.
Deep Breathing
There are several deep breathing exercises such as belly breathing and paced respiration. These can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls your body’s relaxation response.
The goal of these exercises is to breathe deeply and focus on your breath. The latter can help distract your mind from whatever was causing it to become stressed. The former can reduce your heart rate.
Yoga
The purpose of doing yoga poses is to bring together the body and mind.
Doing so can have many beneficial health effects. Several studies have found that doing yoga can decrease feelings of depression and anxiety. Other experts have found that the activity can lower blood sugar levels and heart rate along with several other health benefits.
3. Take a Nap
Naps don’t just benefit young children. They can also have a positive effect on adults as well. Along with reducing fatigue, they can also improve your mood, performance, alertness, and more.
However, there are specific ways that you must nap. You can find some tips for this below.
Nap Before 3 p.m.
The ideal time for a nap is in the early afternoon. If you take a nap too close to your bedtime, you may end up struggling with sleep that night.
The exception to this, of course, would be if you experience a sudden change in your usual daily schedule.
Keep Your Naps Short
The ideal time to take a nap is around 10 to 20 minutes. If you try to nap for longer than that, your mind will attempt to prepare you for what it thinks is your nightly sleep. As a result, you’ll only feel groggy when you try to wake up later.
In addition, longer naps can make you sleep poorly that night.
4. Change How You Eat
Certain foods can indeed give you an energy boost. However, there are also ways to eat that can give you more energy. You can find out more about this in the sections below.
Change Your Diet
While sugar is tasty and gives you a quick energy boost, the detrimental effects that it has aren’t with the price. Beyond that, the quick burst of energy will be followed by an energy crash.
Instead, if you want more energy, eat more protein, whole grains, and healthy fats.
Don’t Skip Meals
It may be a good idea to skip your meals to lose weight. However, if you do, don’t expect to have a lot of energy throughout the day.
This is especially the case for breakfast. The food you eat just after you wake up gives your body the jolt that it needs for the day.
5. Take Natural Dietary Supplements
Along with supplying your body with healthy foods, certain herbs, vitamins, and other substances can give you a boost of energy. While it is possible to eat herbs fresh and get vitamins from foods, you may find it easier to consume them in the form of supplements.
Below you’ll find some examples of energy-boosting supplements:
Deer Antler Velvet
Many in the United States may not know about the benefits of deer antler velvet. Still, experts all over the world have found that this material has several benefits. Increased energy is just one of them.
Magnesium
Magnesium has a key role in over 300 bodily processes. One of these is the transformation of glucose into energy. Needless to say, you’re going to feel tired without this mineral.
Read Our Other Articles for More Useful Information
As a final tip, remember that you may not see the biggest effects right away. Try a new activity for a certain amount of time. If it doesn’t work, you can replace it with another.
Did you learn something useful from this article about ways to increase energy levels? If so, check out our hundreds of other pieces. With so many topics, you’re sure to find something you’ll love!
