How to beat fatigue
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition and Herbal Medicine
Is tiredness getting in the way of your enjoyment of life? Are you so tired it’s impossible to get through the morning without drinking a triple espresso?
Being tired affects everyone at some point in their life. A busy life, staying up late, a full week at work can all lead to tiredness. However if you’re feeling fatigued all the time it can affect your health, relationships, work and happiness.
Feeling tired all the time?
There are a whole range of reasons why you might feel tired – even when there’s nothing wrong with you.
Not getting enough good quality sleep, lack of exercise, working long hours, emotional concerns and stress, and nutritional deficiencies and imbalances can all make you more tired than you should be.
And if you’re tired you’re more likely to suffer from some of the following:
- Poor concentration
- Poor memory
- Clumsiness / carelessness
- Low mood
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Muscle weakness
- Reduced immune system function
- Low motivation
Looking at your diet and lifestyle may be the answer
While working long hours and having a busy life impact how you feel, the food you eat and the lifestyle you lead can also make you more tired than you should be
- Your body needs nutrients: If your diet isn’t providing the nutrients your body needs to function at its optimal level, you’re going to be more tired than you should be.
- Skipping meals: Food feeds your metabolism. Food provides the fuel for your body and brain to function, so missing breakfast and skipping meals is going to affect your energy levels
- Overeating: While skipping meals is a fatigue-inducing no-no, so is over-eating. Large meals can drain your energy, leaving you feeling tired and sleepy.
- Not eating enough iron: Being low in iron causes anaemia, one of the leading causes of tiredness among women.
- Not drinking enough water: A dehydrated body functions less efficiently.
- Sleeping problems: Most experts recommend between seven and nine hours of sleep, however about 10% of the population suffers from insomnia that continues for six months or more.
- Not moving: Exercise and physical activity make you feel good: more energised. It’s also a great stress reliever – another common cause of fatigue.
Natural therapies can help
There are a whole range of nutritional supplements and herbs that promise to boost your energy levels. Some of these are useful and will make a difference. While others are over-priced and over-marketed. A good natural therapies programme will:
- Address the underlying causes of your tiredness
- Improve your diet, so it’s working for, rather than against you
- Improve the quality of your sleep
- Use supplements and herbs to plug any gaps in your diet and health
- Get you moving
Five tips for beating fatigue
- Don’t skip meals – eating smaller amounts of food regularly feeds your metabolism and provides balanced energy throughout the day.
- Get regular exercise
- Eat more fruit and vegetables – these provide many of the vitamins & minerals your body needs
- Go to bed earlier and try to get 8 hours sleep
- Drink at least 1.5 litres every day
Kathryn Elliott
Nutritionist & herbalist
Balance2health
Photograph by Fotosmurf.