These All-Natural Home Remedies Can Help Boost Your Energy
Did you know that feeling tired is the number one health complaint? Try these natural home remedies for fatigue.
Tired of feeling tired?
Feeling bone-tired, as so many people do, is disheartening, demoralizing, and frustrating. You want to race like a thoroughbred, but you feel stuck in the mud. Half the time you’re struggling just to stay awake. Life is passing by, and you can’t keep up with it. Willpower doesn’t work, so what does?
Sometimes your best bet is a total energy makeover changes in the way you eat, drink, and exercise. Certain supplements can also help. Or maybe your solution is simple: sleep, beautiful sleep. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to have your doctor test your blood for hypothyroidism, anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, and other conditions that can cause fatigue. Scroll down for what to try.
(Related: Can Allergies Make You Tired? 7 Things Allergists Need You to Know)
Eat to beat fatigue
1. Go easy on foods high in refined carbohydrates.
Bread, spaghetti, and cake are not your best choices. These foods make your blood sugar rise rapidly, then crash quickly. You’ll end up feeling weak and tired. Eat more high-fibre foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain cereals, whole-wheat bread, and vegetables. These help stabilize blood sugar.
2. Cut down on your intake of unhealthy fats.
According to a 2016 study, people who consume diets high in fat are more likely to experience fatigue throughout the day. Aim to have no more than 10 percent saturated fat in your diet.
3. Eat spinach once a day.
This is an old-time remedy for relieving fatigue, and we all know what it did for Popeye. You can’t go wrong. Spinach contains potassium as well as many B vitamins, all of which are important to energy metabolism.
(Related: 16 Healthy, Energy-Boosting Breakfast Recipes You Need When Working From Home)
Supplement your energy stores
Ginseng is an age-old cure for that run-down feeling. Look for a supplement containing at least 4 percent ginsenosides, and take two 100-milligram capsules daily. This herbal remedy stimulates your nervous system and will help to protect your body from the ravages of stress. (Off-limits if you have high blood pressure.)
Consider taking a magnesium supplement, as a deficiency in the mineral could have you feeling tired. Magnesium is involved in hundreds of chemical reactions in the body. It plays a role in changing protein, fat, and carbohydrates into energy sources.
Know the best fatigue-fighting beverages
Sip water all day long—at least eight glasses. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty, because your “thirst alarm” isn’t always accurate. Even a little dehydration can make you fatigued.
Keep caffeinated drinks to a minimum. The caffeine in coffee and some sodas can give you a short-term burst of energy, but following that “rush,” there’s typically a “crash.” (Learn what happens to your body when you have an energy drink.)
Finally, limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol depresses your central nervous system, and it reduces your blood sugar level.
(Related: 23 Flavoured Water Recipes That Are Beyond Refreshing)
Exercise
Most days of the week, try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise—it’ll give you an energy boost and also help you sleep better. Consider taking up yoga or tai chi. These ancient forms of exercise allow you to get physical activity, but they also include relaxation components that can be reinvigorating.
Don’t have the time for a 30-minute workout? Try just 10 minutes of low-level exercise. Usually, people with fatigue have a decreased supply of adenosine diphosphate (ADP), an intracellular “messenger” involved in energy metabolism. Translation: There’s not enough “spark” in the engine. Almost any kind of activity will help-singing, taking deep breaths, walking, or stretching.
(Related: Why Exercise Can Be the Most Effective Way to Relieve Stress)
Get enough sleep
Always get up at the same time, even on weekends. Your body will eventually get the hang of the steady sleep schedule. Need extra sleep? Go to bed earlier. As long as you’re getting up at the same time every morning, it’s fine to have a flexible getting-to-bed schedule. Also, keep naps short. If you snooze more than half an hour during the day, your body will want more, and you’ll be groggy when you wake up.
(Related: 3 AM and Wide Awake? Here’s How to Sleep Through the Night)
A quick cure for fatigue
For a quick pick-me-up, put two drops of peppermint oil on a tissue or handkerchief, hold it to your nose, and breathe deeply. If you have more time, try adding two drops of the oil to bathwater along with four drops of rosemary oil for an invigorating soak.
(Related: The Health Benefits of Peppermint)
When to see your doctor about fatigue
A long list of medical conditions and lifestyle issues can contribute to fatigue, including lack of sleep, inadequate nutrition, flu, obesity, allergies, infections, anemia, alcohol abuse, hypothyroidism, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and AIDS. If you feel tired “all the time” even after you’ve taken steps to treat fatigue, make an appointment to see your doctor. If you have fatigue along with sudden onset of abdominal pain, shortness of breath, or severe headache, seek immediate medical attention. Other chronic symptoms that might require a doctor’s attention are muscle aches, nausea, depression, fever, or difficulty seeing.
Now that you know some of the best natural home remedies for fatigue, check out these 22 guaranteed ways to boost your energy.
Newsletter Unit
