It’s already hard enough as it is keeping your energy high throughout the day, much more so throughout the week. I would say I do quite well keeping my life together.
I try to get enough sleep, eat clean as often as possible, and keep active. Can’t help it if I’m into it! So I’m probably in the minority.
But regardless, we all probably know by now that getting 8 hours of sleep, exercising, and having a balanced diet can give you more energy. That doesn’t have much bearing anymore though. It’s not enough.
So I scoured for other means to maintain or increase your energy weekly that go deeper into those general tips.
5 Ways to Increase Your Daily Energy Levels
Have you ever thought, what could 8 hours of sleep do for you if its quality felt like only 2 hours of sleep? How much difference will cutting out caffeine have if you have a junk food diet that leaves you feeling bloated and sluggish?
There’s nothing wrong with the advice that’s out there now about increasing your energy levels. I just thought these might be useful additional information to drive home the point of doing them.
Maximize Your Circadian Rhythm
The circadian rhythm is the natural cycle of physiological processes of all living things that repeats every 24 hours. Humans have it as well as plants, animals, and even bacteria and fungi.
The term and concept goes into deep science, but to simplify it, there’s an innate “master clock” in us that’s part of our genes and that dictates the natural processes and functions of the body.
Metabolism, habits, hormone levels, body temperature — all these are factors that change and develop your circadian rhythm over time.
Improving it by keeping it balanced and consistent not only gives you energy for later in the week. It keeps your “master clock” fresh even later in life. That’s why you see some old people who can still do so much and be so sharp at 80 years old.
Sleep and wake up at the same time everyday.
Your sleeping schedule is really the most crucial aspect of your circadian rhythm, or at least I think so. I find that with me if it changes all the time, then my body is all confused.
It doesn’t know when to be fully awake or be calmed down for rest. In Florida, it’s easy to sync it to environmental cues like sunrise and sunset. For other places that doesn’t really see the sun anymore during the winter and gets dark at 4pm, having a set sleep and wake time will regulate your body’s energy levels throughout the day, every day.
Determine the peak of daytime alertness.
When are you most energized? Are you an early bird or a night owl? I think this conflicts with being a night owl because you’re probably not fully awake during the daytime.
Still, I think it’s important to know when you have the most energy. Maybe if not a window of time, then a general part of your timeline within the day. Put all the tasks that need your utmost sharpness and alertness during that period.
Set time for your meals.
Sleep divides the days; meals divide the day. They signal that a different part of it has ended and a new one has started. It dictates the circadian rhythm.
You’ve heard of tips like don’t eat breakfast past 10am, or lunch past 4pm, or dinner past 10pm. That’s because our circadian rhythm factors in our digestives functions, and it’s been roughly the same for all people since probably the beginning of time.
Improve Your Sleep Satisfaction
It goes without saying that sleep is the number one factor to your energy levels. When we sleep, the brain and body recharges, giving us more energy. But if you’re like me, you’ve asked how come sometimes I don’t have any?
Sleep satisfaction is a subjective measure of how well a person feels after a night’s rest.
It doesn’t necessarily equate to the number of hours you’ve slept or your sleep quality, which is often confused with sleep satisfaction.
But if you’re going to change anything about your sleep in hopes of gaining more energy for the week, try to increase your sleep satisfaction every night.
Exercise.
Let’s skip the ‘exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins give you energy’ talk. Simply put, exercise releases all the restless energy that’s in your body.
When you’re tired from sitting all day on your computer, it’s mostly your brain that’s tired. But there’s physical energy that you need to release too. Yes, endorphins help with that. Plus, your body tires out so you fall asleep faster and wake up feeling more satisfied.
Seek out sunlight in the morning.
Sunlight is a signal to your body that it’s morning. In relation to the previous point, it alerts your circadian rhythm that it’s time for the full waking state.
Other than that, it’s important to get your vitamin D from the source itself. It’s best to take a walk in the morning, so you could hit two birds with one stone (exercise and sunlight).
Utilize the power of a power nap.
There’s power in a power nap! Some people sleep only 6 hours a night and schedule power naps throughout the day. It really charges your body with renewed energy. But there’s a big IF!
Power naps should only be 20 minutes. Anything longer may just make you feeling groggy and restless after waking up. Also, don’t nap after 3pm. It only disrupts your sleep cycle and makes it harder to sleep later in the night.
Eat for More Energy
You’re familiar with having a specific diet for losing weight. For the lucky ones, maybe gaining weight. But I’ve yet to hear about a diet that’s specifically for gaining more energy.
Probably because it’s almost a given that when you eat clean, you get more energy.
That’s valid, but do we really pay attention to how much energy we can get from a certain food as much as we pay attention to the calories it contains? I’ve never. This may be a good time to start.
Eat nutrient dense food with low glycerin index.
Nutrient dense food are ‘safe’ for people who wants to get the nutrients but don’t want the calories. They’re high on vitamins and minerals, but won’t give you the unwanted weight.
Foods that have a low glycerin index are also something to consider because they don’t require so much energy to digest. Your digestive system takes up so much of your energy without you realizing. Reducing that will leave you with more energy for other things.
Take vitamins.
Vitamins don’t give you the nutrients that you get from food. They’re not supposed to be substitutes, but they act like fuel to the fire in that they help you absorb the nutrients from the food better and turn it into energy.
Regulate your caffeine intake.
For many of us, caffeine is a big culprit to our lack of energy, especially if you’ve grown dependent on it. You’re basically just holding on to the last of your energy and stretching it as long as you can but it actually leaves you more exhausted.
Regulate your daily intake of caffeine, and don’t gulp down a cup on your way to work. It only spikes up your nerves. Drinking it slowly throughout the morning is actually the best way to take your coffee.
Take Care of Your Gut Health
Gut health has taken a spot in the trending health topics recently. Everyone’s suddenly talking about it, and for good reason. In the walls of our gut, there’s a multitude of neurons that allows us to “feel” our inner world. That’s why you’re feeling butterflies sometimes.
It’s considered a “second brain” because it also has deep connections to the brain, and acts similarly except for making logical decisions. When you feel your gut is telling you something, you’re not wrong.
Just like how when your brain is tired, you’re fatigued. It’s the same effect when you gut isn’t healthy. This is a very new concept to me, but here’s what I found are ways to keep up your gut health.
Take prebiotic or probiotic.
This is how Healthline defines prebiotics and probiotics:
Take in lots of fiber.
Your gut includes the parts of your body responsible for digestion. Fruits have been known to be good for making you poop better because of the fiber present in them. Taking in lots of fiber ensures that your digestive system is able to clear out wastes properly and completely. In turn, it makes your gut healthy.
Establish a Specified Workspace
I really wrote this for professionals and entrepreneurs who feel they’re constantly on and moving. In turn, they’re also constantly exhausted with energy depleting as the weekdays pass. I won’t exclude myself in this.
So I wanted to insert a tip that’s a little more personal to me. This may be proven from research, but personally, having an area that’s solely for working is effective for me. When I’m there, my brain is instantly zapped into work mode.
Get a standing desk.
I can personally vouch for this. I’m never one who can just sit in one position for more than an hour. Sitting for hours is not recommended too. Having the option to stand when I’m getting sleepy forces me to be more awake for work.
Get used to monotasking.
I don’t know if I can believe multitasking is effective for anyone. Maybe, but it’s hard. Monotasking is the only way that I get things done without straining my brain too much. Even if I jump from one unrelated task to another, I hyper-focus on every single task until it’s done. I find that doing that preserves the energy spent on thinking too much about many things at once.
I’m obviously no expert and speaking mainly from own experience. So take this with a grain of salt and do your own research. What works for me won’t work with everybody.
I only thought these are just better starting points for when you’re finding information about how to increase your energy levels throughout the week. They drive the point of the usual tips you see in every other similar article as this.
When you understand why you need to do those things and what actually happens inside your body, you can actually stick with them as habits and see the results of having higher energy.