Jessica Shawcroft
The Paw Print
I recently read an article about how to have more energy throughout the day; I found it important because day light savings always messes me up.
My body’s clock is so off for the next week or so that I’m exhausted all day, even after sleeping 8 hours the night before! I figured I can’t be the only one, so here we go on what I learned. If you’re tired when you first wake up, this is fairly common. One of the biggest things we can do for ourselves is to get some sunlight within a few minutes of waking up. Our brains wake up slowly due to sleep inertia; this can last up to two hours!
We need to eat a full breakfast, drink caffeine, and get sunlight to help our brains wake up faster. I hit a wall around lunchtime that midafternoon kills me, and then I’m wide awake for the evening. If you’re like me, our goal should be to eat more; that sounds simple enough! We need to pack our bodies full of carbohydrates to raise our insulin response. It’s also recommended to order a combo meal; the extra consumption will help slow our digestive system and the release of insulin, which will help us feel energized longer.
If you’re still hungry after the meal, add a snack of grapes or an apple afterward; this will help stabilize your blood sugar level. Well, I for one, love eating so this is a great answer to my energy crisis! If you get tired in the evening, the recommended solution is to work out and fuel up on food. Working out helps energize us and also boosts our endorphins.
I understand though, it’s hard to want to work out when you have no energy. If you haven’t eaten since lunch, you need to eat a small snack with 25 to 35 grams of carbohydrates, 10 to 15 grams of protein, and up to 5 grams of fat.
This will help energize you and prepare you for the workout. Some of us take energy drinks to help fuel up; this is also recommended, but swap your drink for a Gatorade.
The simple sugars cause a spike in blood-sugar levels, and you’ll have energy immediately. One thing I’ve noticed for myself lately is I can’t sleep once I lay down in bed. A common suggestion (I’m sure we’ve all heard) is to shut all electronics off prior to sleeping. When we play on our phones, watch TV, read, or play games close to bed time, our brain signals excitement. When we participate in these activities close to bed time, our brain links our bed with excitement and stays awake rather than shutting down for sleep.
Hopefully this helped you like it helped me. Staying up for classes can be hard, studying late and finishing homework is also stressful. The more we take care of ourselves and get proper amounts of sleep, the better.
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