It’s normal to feel tired from time to time; for example, during busy periods at work or when faced with a diary packed full of social plans. But, if you’ve been feeling more tired than usual recently, it’s worth considering ways to help boost your energy levels.
With that said, here are 10 tips to help if you’re feeling tired all the time.
Note: If you’ve been struggling with long-term, unexplained tiredness, it’s important to speak to your GP, as this could be a sign of an underlying health condition.
1. Choose whole foods over processed ones
Processed foods that are high in added sugar, like white bread and baked goods, are particularly tempting when we’re in need of an energy boost. However, because they spike blood sugar, energy crashes often follow soon after eating processed foods, which can make us feel even more tired than we were in the first place.
So, limiting your intake of processed foods and opting for whole, unprocessed foods that are high in protein, fibre, and healthy fats instead can be useful. These foods are digested more slowly and keep blood sugar levels steady – helping to keep you fuller for longer. Examples include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources like chicken, eggs, beans, and legumes.
For more advice on maintaining energy throughout the day and avoiding sugar crashes, check out our articles; 12 energy-boosting foods and drinks and What are the best and worst foods to eat at different times of the day?
2. Make sure you’re getting enough iron
A lack of iron can cause iron deficiency anaemia. This is linked with fatigue because we need iron to make haemoglobin – a protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.
If we don’t have enough hemoglobin, our muscles and tissues won’t be able to work effectively; and the heart has to work harder to pump oxygen-rich blood around the body – all of which can deplete energy.
Some of the best sources of iron include red meat, fish, nuts, seeds, dark green leafy vegetables, and fortified breakfast cereals. It can also be helpful to keep an eye on your vitamin C intake because studies suggest that eating foods high in vitamin C may increase iron absorption by up to 67%.
For further guidance, check out our article; Iron – what it is, why it’s important, and how to make sure you’re getting enough in your diet. If you’re concerned about your iron levels, it’s worth speaking to your GP who’ll be able to arrange a blood test.
3. Be mindful of your caffeine intake
While a cup of tea or coffee might be your first port of call for an energy boost, drinking too much caffeine can make you feel more tired in the long run.
Our bodies rapidly absorb caffeine. In fact, research suggests that the body absorbs 99% of caffeine within 45 minutes of consuming it. However, while you might feel more alert to begin with, caffeine’s effects can soon wear off and leave you feeling tired again.
There’s also evidence that drinking too much caffeine can cause people to build up a tolerance and no longer feel its effects.
For example, this study looked at the effects of continuous caffeine intake on the exercise performance of physically active adults. At the beginning of the study, the participants had higher heart rates and exerted greater cycling force after drinking caffeine. However, after 15 days, the effects of caffeine began to decrease.
Drinking too much caffeine can also disrupt sleep, so experts recommend having no more than five cups a day and to avoid drinking it late in the afternoon.
4. Consider having smaller, more frequent meals
If you often find yourself feeling tired after eating a big meal, you might find it better to eat smaller, more frequent meals.
Eating little and often can help to keep your blood sugar levels stable and reduce food cravings for processed foods.
If overeating is something that you struggle with, many people find that taking a mindful and intuitive approach helps them to tune into their natural hunger signals. Check out our article, 9 tips to prevent overeating and encourage portion control, for further guidance.
5. Stay hydrated
Not drinking enough water can make you feel tired because blood pressure levels drop when we’re dehydrated, which can lead to poor circulation and reduced blood flow to the brain.
In this study, when people who weren’t drinking enough water increased their intake, they felt more energised. Similarly, people who lowered their water intake reported feeling less calm, satisfied, and positive, and more fatigued.
If you’d like to up your water intake, you might find it useful to read our articles; 10 tips for staying hydrated and why it’s important and 9 healthy and hydrating alternatives to water.
6. Improve your sleep quality
Perhaps the most obvious reason why you might feel tired all the time is that you’re not getting enough sleep.
According to the NHS, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. However, it’s not only how much sleep you’re getting that’s important, but also the quality of sleep.
There are five different stages of sleep and all are important for health. Getting enough of all five allows the body to perform several important processes – including repairing and regenerating cells – that allow us to feel awake and energised the following day.
If you’ve been struggling to fall or stay asleep recently, head over to the sleep and fatigue section of our website. Here, we have articles on everything from coping with insomnia to common age-related sleep conditions.
7. Make sure you’re getting enough essential vitamins and minerals
Our bodies rely on a range of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and function properly. And some are particularly important for helping us stay energised. This includes vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium, which are involved in processes like breaking down food for energy and transporting oxygen around the body.
In this study, 77.2% of patients with chronic fatigue had low vitamin D levels.
Check out our article 11 vitamins and minerals to help with tiredness and fatigue or browse our essential vitamin and mineral guides for more information. If you’re concerned about your vitamin and mineral levels, it’s important to speak to your GP.
8. Find ways to relax
Stress is a normal part of life, and we need a certain amount of it to stay healthy. For example, research has found that short-term stress can actually improve brain function and strengthen the immune system.
However, long-term, chronic stress can be harmful to health and leave us feeling run down. In this study, there was a strong correlation between work-related stress and fatigue.
Stress can also disrupt sleep and increase the risk of insomnia and depression, which are closely linked to fatigue.
If you’d like to take steps to manage your stress levels, have a read of our articles; 9 simple stress-relieving activities and 7 tips for coping with stress and anxiety.
9. Check in with your mental health
A lot of mental health conditions are known to affect energy levels, so if you’ve been feeling more tired than usual recently, it’s worth checking in with yourself.
The NHS recognises tiredness as a physical symptom of many mental health conditions. And, this report found that more than 90% of people with severe depression experience fatigue.
If you’ve been struggling with depression or anxiety recently, we have a collection of articles in the healthy mind section of our website that you might find helpful. We also have information on counselling and therapy if you feel this is something you may benefit from. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone, and to reach out for help if you’re struggling.
If you tend to experience more tiredness and mental health dips during the winter period, it’s worth considering whether you could be affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD, sometimes known as ‘winter depression’, is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. Just like general depression, it can also cause feelings of lethargy.
10. Take steps to sync your circadian rhythm
The circadian rhythm is the body’s internal clock. It runs on a 24-hour cycle and is responsible for prompting essential body functions and processes, such as eating, waking, and sleeping.
When properly aligned, the circadian rhythm encourages us to fall asleep and wake up at times in the day that support a healthy lifestyle. However, environmental factors can impact the sleep-wake cycle and throw it out of sync.
This is because melatonin – the hormone responsible for regulating the body’s sleep-wake cycle – is influenced by light. When it’s dark, melatonin production increases and signals to the brain that it’s time to sleep; and when it’s light, melatonin production stops and alertness increases.
This is why you might struggle to fall asleep after spending time on an electronic device just before bed.
Not only can an out-of-sync circadian rhythm lead to problems like insomnia, but it can also cause you to feel tired during the day in general.
Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help regulate your circadian rhythm, including getting regular exercise, limiting evening screen time, and establishing a consistent bedtime routine.
To find out more, check out our article; Everything you need to know about melatonin and the circadian rhythm.
Final thoughts…
It’s normal to feel tired from time to time, but if you’ve noticed a change in your energy levels recently, it’s worth considering why.
The good news is that from taking steps to reduce stress levels and adding more time for relaxation into your routine, to upping your intake of energy-boosting nutrients, there are various ways to help beat tiredness.
For further reading, head over to the general health section of our website. Here, you’ll find information on everything from ways to boost your immune health to important health checks for over 50s.
Note: If you’ve been struggling with long-term unexplained tiredness, it’s important to speak to your GP as this could be a sign of an underlying health condition.
What helps to give you an energy boost? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
