You’re dragging through the days, not necessarily under the weather, but not feeling energized and focused.
Bleh.
If it makes you feel any better, you’re not alone. Sludging through a sense of fatigue is one of the most common reasons for a healthcare visit today, with research showing that almost 20% of all visits to the doctor include a complaint about feeling fatigued or tired. When fatigue is coloring your world, it can feel like you’re having to push yourself to take care of basic responsibilities on the job and at home. You might feel depleted or unmotivated.
Of course you’ll likely hear the advice that you should get some more sleep, eat more nutritious food, and reduce your stress. All good advice, to be sure. But if sleep quality is in the hands of your new baby, if rushing to dinner time is on survival settings and convenience, and if that project at work absolutely, positively has to hit the deadline, no matter how tired you are, then what do you do?
Check out these quick and easy ideas to give your energy a quick boost to help carry you through busy and challenging seasons.
✅ 1. Here Comes the Sun
Get some early morning sunshine exposure. Head out your backdoor, leave those sunglasses off, and take a few minutes to let your eyes absorb some sunny natural light. Early daylight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, improving sleep quality and daytime energy. A 2020 study showed that employees who took in natural light in the morning were significantly more alert and focused than colleagues who didn’t get morning light. Sunshine in the morning is your friend to help combat feelings of drowsiness and fatigue. Thirty minutes is optimal, but even just five to ten minutes can make a big difference.
✅ 2. Pray
While you might think of prayer more as a way to relieve anxiety and stress by voicing your concerns to God, it turns out that prayer can also help you be more alert and tuned-in to your day. A series of studies show that prayer helps with focus. These studies also showed that prayer reduces fatigue.
✅ 3. Clear Some Clutter
In a recent Altrua HealthShare article, we shared the energy-sapping drain that clutter costs you. People who are in cluttered spaces show higher cortisol levels and greater levels of fatigue. Just a quick tidy of the top of your desk or a drawer in the kitchen can be energizing and help you feel productive instead of depleted.
✅ 4. Pump the Tunes
This isn’t the time for soft ballads or cool jazz. This is the time to put on the dance music with an energizing beat and fire up that energizing neurotransmitter that music is. Music can stimulate the brain’s reward system and increase dopamine, a natural way to beat those tired feelings and get your energy up.
✅ 5. Power Nap Your Way
Sure, a luxurious two hour nap would be a beautiful thing…but who has time for that? The good news? A quick 10–20 minute nap can increase your alertness without leaving you feeling groggy or messing up your nighttime sleep cycles. NASA research discovered that a 10-minute nap boosted alertness in pilots and astronauts by 34% and performance by 16%. The study also found that a quick power nap can improve your performance on the job for up to three hours. If it’s good enough for the rocket scientists, it’s good enough for you!
✅ 6. Laugh More
Laughter boosts circulation and triggers endorphins, improving both mood and energy. A 2024 study found that laughter significantly reduced the level of fatigue in patients dealing with kidney disease. 7 When your energy is down, take a couple of minutes to watch a funny meme video or to look up a “Dad Joke.”
“A cheerful heart is good medicine.”
Proverbs 17:22
✅ Yes, Sip That Caffeine…Safely ☕
While it can be an issue to drink too much coffee, a reasonable amount of caffeine can help you push past fatigue. Plenty of research shows that caffeine, in the form of coffee, green tea, and other caffeinated drinks, can help with mood, alertness, and focus. 8 It’s generally accepted that 30-300 milligrams of caffeine a day is safe. Be sure to listen to your body about how well you handle caffeine, and make sure you’re also staying hydrated with water to offset the diuretic effects of coffee.
Most of the time, you’ll likely be able to point to various factors in your life that are causing you to feel tired or fatigued. It’s important to also talk with your healthcare provider if you are struggling with persistent tiredness. If you’re a Member of Altrua HealthShare on certain levels of membership, you have built into your membership a number of wellness visits, which you can use to discuss with your doctor your fatigue issues. If you’re not yet a Member of Altrua HealthShare or if you have questions about your membership, contact a Member Service Representative at 1-888-244-3839 for information on how to become a Member and what your level of membership includes.
1 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8579431/
2 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7246601/
3 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6369522/
4 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-relationship-realist/202409/clutter-cortisol-and-mental-load
5 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10765015/
6 https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20190033981/downloads/20190033981.pdf
7 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11613978/
8 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/exercise-versus-caffeine-which-is-your-best-ally-to-fight-fatigue-2017060811843#:~:text=Mountains%20of%20solid%20research%20have,soda%2C%20between%2030%20and%2060.