6 Ways to Naturally Boost Energy

Sleep deprivation is common in our culture. We pack our schedules with too much to do, and when push comes to shove, a good night’s sleep gets thrown out the window in favor of finishing off that to-do list or getting caught up on our favorite TV shows. With so much going on, most of don’t pay adequate attention to exercise, proper nutrition or maintaining good mental and emotional health—all of which can leave us feeling lethargic and rundown. When our physical state of being lags behind our busy lives, we tend to reach for a cup of coffee or a can of soda. While caffeine does provide a temporary boost of energy, it’s not enough to sustain us for the day—and it doesn’t address the underlying problems behind our lack of energy.

If you’re feeling fatigued, put down that caffeine and try these six steps to boost your energy naturally.

1. Hit the Hay
Getting a full night’s sleep is the first key to feeling fully energized. Shorting yourself on sleep does more than make you feel tired the next day. Sleep deprivation impairs judgment, reaction time and mental functions. Sleep deprivation has also been tied to depression and weight gain. Although the “perfect” amount of sleep varies from person to person (for some it’s five hours, for others 10), most adults require between seven and eight hours. If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, your bedroom could be the culprit. Check these bedroom trouble spots to get a better night’s sleep.

2. Work Out
Exercise gets the blood flowing, which helps us to feel more awake. Studies have shown that exercising on a regular basis reduces general fatigue in nearly every group, from healthy adults to the chronically ill, and that exercise has a stronger effect on sleepiness than even the narcolepsy drug modafinil.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Amanda V.

8:36AM PDT on Jun 1, 2012

thanks for the tips :}

June 1
send a green star

Engele v.

2:27AM PDT on Apr 3, 2012

The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep. (Yip, that should boost your energy... )

April 3
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Heidi A.

6:15PM PDT on Apr 2, 2012

The licorice should be the Deglycyrrhizinated licorice(DGL licorice). Regular licorice raises blood pressure. Astragalus has the added benefit of preventing telomeres from shortening. Telomeres determine the life span of a cell. When the telomere gets to short,( they get shorter after each replication) after so many times, it sends a signal for the cell to die-apoptosis.

April 2
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Sheri P.

5:59PM PDT on Apr 2, 2012

thanks for the tips...

Jennifer W.

6:39PM PDT on Mar 28, 2012

thanks

March 28
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Gord L.

6:31AM PDT on Mar 26, 2012

Ms. Melgren:

You write: ``If you’re feeling fatigued, try taking a 100 milligram CoQ10 supplement two or three times daily.` This, however, seems a little high to me. Is it possible your dosage recommendation applies to the older, less absorbable form of CoQ10, Ubiquinone? Nowadays, we have various suppliers of Ubiquinol, and even specially formulated Ubiquinol, much more of which goes into the bloodstream. I think for Ubiquinol CoQ10, your dosage recommendations may be far too high. Your article makes no mention of this but I think we need to be able to distinquish between the different forms of CoQ10.

March 26
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Judy A.

4:37AM PDT on Mar 25, 2012

Good ideas.

March 25
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Beba H.

1:45AM PDT on Mar 24, 2012

Sleep helps make you look and feel younger than your years. I have fought to have enough sleep and have been persecuted by friends and work--the result being that I live modestly but look and feel 20 years younger than my age which is 60 years old. I dont colour my hair, still look sexy in a pair of jeans, am passionate about life and this planet and am thinking of going back into modelling. No one believes me when I tell them my age. I am also a vegetarian and try to live intelligently and do anti aging regiments with resveratrol,CoQ10,Melatonin, etc.

March 24
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Andy K.

9:44AM PDT on Mar 23, 2012

Sleep experts say that most mental illness is due to lack of, and poor, sleep. To get the sleep you get at the coast when the wind blows in from the sea, just heat salt water in an oil burner in the bedroom overnight. This cures insomnia in just five nights, and takes away with it all symptoms of mental illness as well.