With the prevalence of energy drinks and coffee shops conveniently located all around us, finding an unnatural, unhealthy energy boost is easy. You’ll certainly be wide awake and wired, but your health will pay the price too.
So the question is — what are some healthy, natural ways to boost your energy and stay awake and alert when you must?
Natural Ways To Boost Your Energy
- Turn on all the lights. – Darkness promotes fatigue and laziness. Turn on every light in the room or pull up the shades.
- Go outdoors. – Getting some fresh air outdoors is always a good way to rouse your senses. Can't get outside? Open the windows and let some fresh air in.
- Pull down on your earlobes. – This may sound strange, but pulling down on your earlobes can help you stay awake and alert when you’re feeling drowsy.
- Rub the roof of your mouth with your tongue. – Rub your tongue against the top front area of your mouth cavity. It feels a little weird, but it does give you a quick nerve jolt that’s bound to make you a bit more alert.
- Call a close friend. – Sometimes a quick conversation with someone you care about is just what you need to boost your mood.
- Listen to upbeat music. – If it’s not too much of a distraction, listening to upbeat music can be a great way to keep your mind awake.
- Watch or read something that inspires you. – Sometimes all you need is a little pep talk. Watch a motivational video or read something that inspires you.
- Have a good laugh. – Watch a funny video clip or read your favorite comic strip. A good chuckle will stimulate your mind, giving you a renewed level on energy.
- Crank up the AC. – Warm, stuffy environments accelerate mental fatigue. If you need to stay awake and energized in a lecture hall or meeting room find an open seat under an AC vent.
- Apply pressure to the top of the back of your neck. – Use your fingertips to apply pressure and lightly massage the top part of the back ofyour neck for a few minutes.
- Tap the top of your head. – Lightly tap the top of your head with your fingertips. Do this continuously for a few minutes.
- Take light exercise breaks every two hours. – Take a break and take a walk or do a couple jumping jacks to get your blood moving. Even the slightest bit of exercise can act as a healthy way to energize your mind and body.
- Write and plan. – The idea is to keep your mind busy. If you are attending a lecture or business meeting, write down everything that is said. If you are simply trying to stay awake or re-energize, create a detailed to-do list for the week or plan out your perfect weekend getaway.
- Get yourself some cold water. – Splash some on your face and the pulse area of your wrists. Also, drinking an ice-cold glass of water can help to wake you up and feel alive.
- Stay organized. – Avoid losing energy by keeping everything in its place.
- Take a few really deep, controlled breaths. – Deep breathing helps reduce stress, a source of fatigue, and increases the level of oxygen in the blood. Techniques can be as simple as inhaling for five seconds, holding your breath for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds. You can also try more elaborate techniques which require different positions
- Exercise regularly in the morning. – Ease into exercise, and then keep it up. You should aim to be active for at least 30 minutes each day. Those 30 minutes of exercise will make you feel energized for hours to come. I’ve found exercise most effective on my energy levels when I exercise in the morning. Exercise in the morning gets the endorphins flowing, which keeps you happy and productive most of the day.
- Spend your energy wisely. – Recognized when your energetic moments are, and use this time productively. Often if you get the ball rolling, you won’t stop.
- Practice altruism. – By doing good work and good deeds for others you’ll help your energy with enhanced happiness, satisfaction and health.
Avoid late night television or aimless web browsing. – Get a little more sleep instead. Nuff said.
- Stretch. – When you feel yourself getting fatigued, get up, reach towards the sky, bend down and touch your toes, twist your torso from side to side… stretch it out. Also, certain yoga exercises, including the warrior poses, have been known to reduce fatigue and increase energy levels.
- Take a 15 minute cat nap. – A short afternoon nap can be refreshing, and won’t interfere with regular sleep patterns if you do it early enough.
- Decrease sugar consumption. – Sugar will cause fluctuations in energy that can leave you feeling burnt out.
- Cut down on coffee and energy drinks. – Although coffee can give you a rush of energy, in the end it will cause fatigue. Coffee does not have to be eliminated, but you probably shouldn’t drink more than one or two cups a day.
- Consume the proper vitamins. – Make sure you get the proper amount of vitamins, especially the B-vitamins.
- Use aromatherapy. – Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants to stimulate the brain through the nerves in the nasal passages. Essential oils can be added to bathwater, massage oil, a steam bath or diffuser for inhalation.
- Stay hydrated. – Drink plenty of water. Dehydration can reduce blood volume, which leads to feelings of fatigue. Drinking plenty of water will also increase your need to go to the restroom, a feeling that will also help you stay awake.
- Clear your stuffy nose. – If allergies have your sinuses blocked, you may be feeling more tired and cranky.
- Change your socks for refreshment. – It’s an odd trick, but it works. Bring a change of socks to work, and change your socks midway through the day. You’ll be amazed at how much fresher you’ll feel. This trick is especially handy on days with lots of walking.
- Watch your attitude. – If you let the bad things that happen during your day get you down, you’re bound to start feeling worn out. Watch your attitude and make sure you’re not letting yourself be overly negative. A generally upbeat and optimistic outlook on life will keep your energy level up. Yes, the worst thing that can happen might actually happen, but giving it too much worry will only drain you. Look for the positive in every situation and you won’t be so tired.
- Examine your emotions. – Stress, depression and other negative emotions can take a heavy toll on your energy levels. Your exhaustion may have a lot to do with how you’re feeling mentally, so take the time to deal with your emotions or get help if you need it.
- Lose a little weight. – Carrying around extra weight takes a toll on your body and energy, so take off a few pounds gradually. The things you do to lose weight – exercise, drink water, avoid simple sugars – are actions that also have a positive effect on your energy level.
- Find something to look forward to. – Having something to look forward to is a great motivator.
- Avoid energy vampires. – Energy vampires always have something to complain about, or a problem that needs to be fixed, and they’ll drain your energy by making you listen to them about their problems or by giving them attention.
- Have a discussion about or work on something that interests you. – Even if you can only do it for a few minutes here and there, get your mind firing on all cylinders by talking about or doing something you feel passionate about.
- Start work with a challenging task. – Get your brain in gear by giving it a challenging task first thing. You’ll be more alert and you’ll get the hard stuff out of the way so the rest of your day will be a breeze.
- Stop slouching. – Slumping down at your desk isn’t doing you any favors in the alertness category. Sitting up at your desk, in an ergonomically friendly way, can make you feel more alert and ready to work.
- Try something new. – Getting into a rut can make your day seem boring and tedious and drain your energy levels. Change things up, try new things and seek out new experiences to spice up your day a little and keep you alert and awake.
- Finish an incomplete task. – There’s nothing more draining than the lingering of an incomplete task. Get things done. Do you have a task that’s weighing heavily on your mind? Just do it, and get the monkey off your back.
- Get enough sleep at night. – This one should be obvious. The best way to feel energized is to be well rested. We need 7-8 hours of sleep to be fully rested. Consistently sleeping less than 6 hours a night builds up a sleep debt that is hard to recover from.
