Do you easily get tired but don’t know the cause? In this article, we will present the most common things that drain your energy and might be the cause of your fatigue and tips on how to overcome them.
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You’re a couch potato
Although it may sound counterintuitive, sitting in the same position for a long period can sap your energy, even when you’re just watching TV or using the PC. When you do this, the body thinks because you’re still you must be asleep. When you find yourself sitting like this, stretch every 30 minutes, get up and walk around your sofa. These breaks will keep the body alert. 6 Stretches You Need to Do If You’re Sitting All Day
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Bad posture
Your body expends a lot of energy to keep you upright. If you have a bad posture, you can put your spine out of proper alignment. The most common bad postures are hunching forwards, slumping in your seat and cradling your phone. The more your spine is out of balance, the more your muscles have to work to keep it in balance.
Regardless of whether you’re sitting, moving or standing still, make sure that you keep your head in line with your body, not sticking it out in front. Aim for the ears to be positioned directly over the shoulders. Here are 6 Simple Exercises to Combat The Effects of Bad Posture
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Crash diets
Even though losing excess weight will give you a tremendous energy boost, taking a drastic measure such as going on a crash diet can be counterproductive. Low-calories diets, especially the ones that have you eating less than 800 calories a day, can make you feel lethargic and even more tired and can cause serious nutritional deficiencies, which in turn may cause serious health problems.
Instead of doing that, lose the excess weight by making smart food choices, eliminating sugary and junk foods, and decreasing the size of your meals. Put simply, by eating healthy. The upper limit would be to lose no more than 1kg or 2lb per week.
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High-sugar breakfast cereals
Breakfast cereals are packed with simple sugars. Consuming them will provide you with a quick burst of energy while causing huge spikes in your blood sugar levels. The type of food we’re talking about includes processed cereals, muffins, pastries, toast with sugary spreads, etc. Just because you’ll get a quick energy surge, doesn’t mean it will stay that way for long. It will slump back just as quickly a couple of hours later. This will result in a crash and you’ll start to feel tired and lethargic.
To maintain a steady supply of energy all morning, you should eat a breakfast comprised of complex carbohydrates such as home-made porridge with skimmed milk and sliced banana, whole-meal cereal topped with some sliced fresh or dried fruit, a couple of eggs with whole-wheat toast and other healthy alternatives. Always strive for breakfast cereals that are whole-grain and have a low content of sugar and salt.
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Being worried all the time
If you’re feeling anxious or constantly worrying about something all day long, your blood pressure and heart rate start to rise, the muscles tighten which ultimately results in overall fatigue and aches. Try to get to the root of your anxiety. Set aside some time to concentrate on what’s troubling you. Define those problems precisely, then think of some positive solutions and eliminate them one by one.
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Over-training
Working out regularly is good for your health, however training intensely every single day can drain all of your energy and lead to overtraining, especially if you’re just a beginner or trying to get back in shape. It is advised that you take at least one day off between strenuous workout sessions. However, make sure that you don’t take more than 2-3 days rest between sessions, or you might quickly lose the habit of regular exercise.
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Energy drinks
When feeling tired, lots of people turn to energy drinks to get a quick boost to get something finished or to sustain their energy throughout the day. The downside to this is that these drinks have a high content of caffeine and they can also be high in sugar. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children under 16, should avoid them.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) estimates that a small can of 250 ml contains about 80mg of caffeine, which is the same as drinking 3 cans of cola or a mug of any type of instant coffee. Some of the smaller “shots” can have up to 160mg of caffeine in a 60ml bottle. Drinking them will certainly provide you with a temporary energy boost, however, it doesn’t last long and can lead to many other problems, such as making you feel more irritable or wound up, disturbing your sleeping patterns, increasing your blood pressure, etc.
To avoid such problems, why not drink some plain water, it’s the better choice especially if you’re a bit dehydrated.
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Winter days
When winter comes along many people start to feel sluggish and tired and continue to do so for as long as it lasts. As the days get shorter, your sleeping and waking cycles become disrupted. The decreased amount of sunlight causes your brain to release more of the hormone known as melatonin, which in turn makes you sleepy.
To remedy this, you should try getting outdoors and soak up on natural sunlight during the day as much as possible. You should also be doing some kind of daily exercise, the simplest being brisk walks. Eating the right kinds of food to sustain your energy should also be considered. You can eat starchy foods, such as wholegrain pasta and bread and potatoes. These will provide you with a slow and steady release of energy throughout the day.
