Five Simple Tips for Beating Your Fatigue

Cut Down on the Refined Sugars and Flours

Refined sugars and flours are found in many confectionary foods, drinks and snacks. Hard to resist, they are actually a major cause of fatigue. Research found that frequent and excessive consumption of these refined foods can make your body oversensitive to them – your body secretes too much insulin too quickly, causing your blood-glucose to dip rapidly. Blood-glucose (fuel) supply to your brain becomes drastically reduced, leading to symptoms like tiredness, drowsiness, inability to concentrate, and forgetfulness. That is why experts like Dr Joan Mathews Larson, PH.D (nutrition), founder and executive director of the highly esteemed Health Recovery Centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recommend that you go off refined sugars and flours if you seriously wish to recover from your chronic-fatigue.

Start the Day with a Nutritious Breakfast

According to Michael T. Murray, N.D., “your energy level is directly related to the quality of the foods you routinely ingest”.

A nutritious breakfast means your body gets the nutrients it needs to be energetic, at the very start of the day. Your body fasts during sleep, so reserves are actually used to keep you alive. When day breaks, your body needs replenishment of resources to get fully started-up. So don’t wait till tea-break or lunch to nourish your body. While your body needs a broad spectrum of nutrients for good health, you can pay special attention to nutrients like iron, magnesium, potassium, germanium, Coenzyme Q10, as well as vitamins B and C – these play crucial roles in energy production.

Swap Some of Your Carbohydrates for Proteins

Ever noticed your tendency to feel sluggish after a carbohydrate-packed meal? That is because carbohydrates lead to the transport of tryptophan (amino acid) to the brain, where it is converted to serotonin (neurotransmitter), which produces a “calming” effect. While a “calming effect” is not bad per se, it is perhaps not what you need you are struggling fatigue. Refined-carbohydrate consumption can also lead to wide fluctuations in your blood-sugar levels. Such fluctuations are harmful, and hinder proper functioning (e.g. clarity of thought) of the brain. So swap some of the carbohydrates in your meals for low-fat proteins. The proteins are a source of tyrosine, which is a building block of dopamine and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters associated with higher energy levels.

Cut Down on Your Caffeine

What caffeine in coffee, coke or tea does to perk you up is to stimulate your adrenal glands to squeeze out more adrenaline. If your body is already overworked (due to sleep-lack, chronic stress, lack of good nutrition, etc), caffeine will simply leave your overworked adrenal glands even more exhausted. Since the caffeine-adrenaline rush is temporary, some people consume more caffeine to reenergize themselves – a vicious cycle is formed, leaving the body more spent than ever. If you one those who use caffeine-quick-fixes for your fatigue problem, your adrenal gland could be so overworked that it is no longer functioning properly to protect you against stress. This can leave you chronically fatigued, and even susceptible to emotional instability and depression.