“When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap.” ~ Unknown
Nearly everyone has experienced a day where they feel exhausted. These feelings either lead us to overconsumption of caffeine or a complete lack of productivity.
Nowadays, it’s common to be left wondering, “What can I do to get out of this funk?”
Below we will review seven solutions for daytime tiredness. They are as follows:
- Consistent Sleep/Wake Cycle
- Get Enough Sleep
- Time-Restricted Eating
- Increase Cognitive Bandwidth
- Decrease Cognitive Load
- Hydration
- Exercise
7 Solutions for Daytime Tiredness
1. Consistent Sleep/Wake Cycle
If you’re finding that you’re tired during the day, it could be because you’re going to bed and waking up at different or random times each day.
Going to sleep and waking up at similar times produces a circadian rhythm that your body and brain can depend on.
You’ll typically get consistent results when you have consistent habits, especially regarding sleep.
2. Get Enough Sleep
We live in a society where it’s expected that we work longer hours to produce more results.
This harms your body and brain, but it also causes you to stay up later than you should.
Then, there’s your smartphone.
Smartphone addiction from the release of dopamine through the usage of different social apps causes many people to stay up scrolling when they should be considering getting some rest.
Typically recommended is 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
If you’re feeling tired during the day and getting less sleep than this, consider ways to increase the amount of sleep you are getting.
3. Time-Restricted Eating
What we put in our bodies significantly affects how we feel.
Most people don’t consider that putting calories into our bodies also has massive implications in how we feel.
During sleep, your body has a series of tasks it needs to complete. Things like cellular cleaning and repair and your brain flushing out toxins.
When you’ve eaten too close to bedtime, instead of completing these tasks, your body is wholly focused on digestion, either leaving them incomplete or pushing them off.
When this happens, it’s common to wake up groggy and have that feeling go with you all day.
4. Increase Cognitive Bandwidth
Cognitive bandwidth is the mental energy you have throughout the day to complete tasks, have conversations, feel emotions, etc.
Think of it like a phone battery… typically when you go to sleep, you plug your phone in to charge during the night. Then, when you wake up, your phone is often at 100%.
As you go through the day and check social media, text, call, and email on your phone, the battery drains. Occasionally even to the point where you need to re-hook it up during the day.
Micro decisions like what we will wear or what we will eat, or when we will exercise all make our cognitive bandwidth decrease.
These small decisions play a role in the amount of energy we have during the day.
If you’re feeling tired, consider finding ways to increase your cognitive bandwidth.
5. Decrease Cognitive Load
If cognitive bandwidth is your phone battery, then the cognitive load is your computer.
Cognitive load is the amount of working memory being used by your brain at any given moment.
On your laptop, your computer typically runs slower when you have multiple browsers open, each with ten tabs, and music is playing while watching a video.
It’s the same with your brain. If you are working on a work-related task while checking your phone multiple times per minute, answering your spouse’s question, and thinking about the ten things you need to do after work, you probably have a ton of cognitive load.
In a state of high cognitive load, feeling overwhelmed and lacking energy is expected.
So, if you’re feeling sleepy, think about ways to decrease your cognitive load.
6. Hydration
Simply put your body and brain will feel better and function better when adequately hydrated.
Drinking water is a simple habit that profoundly impacts how you feel during the day.
Typically speaking, it’s recommended that men drink around 100 oz of water per day and women drink about 90 oz of water.
The benefits of proper hydration include mental clarity and increased working memory, improved cognitive function, and a positive impact on mood.
If you’re feeling dizzy, consider taking a few sips of water rather than reaching for more coffee.
7. Exercise
The benefits of having a regular exercise routine are nearly endless.
But, as it relates to having energy during the day, exercise, specifically when you sweat, releases endorphins in the brain that provide lots of energy and a positive mood.
Additionally, BDNF (bio-derived neurotrophic factor) is released in the brain during exercise, which acts as a “Miracle Gro” for the synaptic connections in the brain, strengthening your memory while building and developing others.
Next Steps to Combatting Tiredness and Fatigue
Daytime sleepiness is a common struggle for many people. But just because you feel a certain way today does not mean you always have to feel that way.
You have what it takes inside you to improve your energy levels during the day and make a definite choice that will change the future trajectory of your health.
Our team at Tiger Medical has the experience, clinical skills, and coaching acumen to help you get your health and energy back.
To talk to one of our professionals, click here to schedule your call!
For further reading, view the following articles on our learning center:
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