Three Natural Energy Boosters

This month we have been talking about natural energy. As a recap, so far, we have talked about:

Week 1:
Do the Foods You Eat Boost Your Energy?

Week 2:
4 Things that Sabotage Your Energy

Week 3:
4 Signs a Food Sensitivity May Be Depleting Your Energy

So to finish up our series on natural energy, in this blog, I am going to give you three simple, natural energy boosters and talk about a few things we have not talked about so far.

As you may be aware, I am a person who struggled with energy all my life; suffering from adrenal fatigue, and just poor energy (in part due to my lifestyle). Even now, I notice that when I add a little” junk food” or processed food into my eating, I can really tell because the next morning I wake up definitely feeling less energetic. It is interesting to me that when we become aware of what energizes our body, we sometimes forget the foods and lifestyle changes that lead us in the other direction…..towards being tired and depleted.

Once you learn how your body reacts to certain foods, you have taken your first step toward awareness, and from then on, you can make more informed choices.

One thing we haven’t talked about with regard to our energy is sleep. Sleep plays such an important role in our overall health, and especially with our overall energy levels. Have you noticed you are more lethargic and even a little grouchy when you don’t get enough sleep? Even though sleep is so important for us, many of us suffer from sleep deprivation or poor sleep.

The Energy-Sleep Connection

Although it may seem like a no-brainer, sleep deprivation is a major reason for high stress and low energy, but as I mentioned, it is often overlooked. Symptoms of sleep deprivation can include sluggish thinking (a/k/a brain fog), feeling grouchy, increased stress, and for some, this even can include hallucinating.

The Better Sleep Council (bettersleep.org) surveyed over a thousand people with half of them stating that they don’t get enough sleep. Also, four out of five of them felt that lack of sleep increased their stress levels. However, it may surprise you to note that fewer than half of those surveyed who were lacking in sleep actually took any specific action to correct the situation.

Just from this small snippet of information, you can see that allowing enough time for adequate sleep and keeping a regular sleep-wake schedule are important. Never underestimate the power of the your sleep cycle and how much sleep you have each night.

Give Screens a Rest

The human body has an internal clock, or circadian rhythm. It is actually designed to make us sleep in the dark and wake up in daylight, but with all the lighting from clocks, television screens, electronics, etc., it has been shown that this type of lighting disrupts that natural clock. Blue light (which emanates from computer and smartphone screens) is the worst. When we look at these screens before bed, that blue light suppresses the natural production of melatonin — the sleep hormone — making it harder to fall and stay asleep. Yet, according to The Vision Council (thevisioncouncil.org), three our of four adults check their digital devices within an hour before bed. Think about how disruptive that is and perhaps you will find that to be a habit worth changing.

You might argue that you read before bed on your electronics, but researchers at Harvard Medical School did a study comparing the effects of reading an ebook to a regular, printed book at bedtime. They found that ebook readers took longer to fall asleep, produced less melatonin, and were less alert in the morning. Interesting, right?

Get More Daylight

Did you know that being exposed to more natural light during the day makes it easier to get better sleep and boosts energy?

Researchers at Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that office workers with windows slept an average of 46 minutes more per night than people in windowless offices, plus they were more physically active and energetic.

If you are one of those who do not have natural lighting in your office, considering making it a habit to take a break a couple of times a day, and go outside and get some natural lighting. Go home and sit outside for a while before it gets dark and take in some of that natural daylight.

These are just three natural energy boosters and interestingly enough, they all tie into sleep one way or another.

So my challenge to you is to change a few habits and make good quality sleep a priority. Then comment below and let me know if you feel better from just making a few changes.

If you do have poor sleep habits and just don’t know how you can change this, schedule a free call with me and let’s chat.