Fatigue is a common problem that affects people of all ages and backgrounds. Sleep disruptions can stem from work or school schedules, inconsistent sleep patterns, or general stress and anxiety. But whatever the cause, chronic fatigue can seriously impact our ability to function normally.

At first, fatigue might seem merely annoying or inconvenient. We may feel tired throughout the day or unable to concentrate on simple tasks for long periods. But if we ignore these warning signs and allow our fatigue to persist for too long, it can start to affect our mental and physical health.

So if you’re struggling with excessive tiredness regularly, it’s important to take action.

Here are some ways you can naturally boost your energy:

Get Enough Sleep

This one might seem obvious, but it’s worth repeating. Getting enough sleep is crucial for maintaining high energy levels throughout the day. Most adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night. If you’re not getting enough sleep, try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day to help regulate your body’s natural sleep cycle.

Eat More Often

You might think eating more often would only make you feel more tired, but that’s not the case. When you’re feeling tired, it could mean your blood sugar levels are low. Eating smaller meals more often throughout the day can help keep your energy levels up and prevent those dreaded blood sugar crashes.

Take a Power Nap

Try taking a power nap if you struggle to make it through the afternoon slump. A 20-minute nap can do wonders for your energy levels—be sure not to nap for too long, or you might feel groggy instead of refreshed.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise isn’t just good for your physical health—it can also improve your mental clarity and energy levels. A moderate amount of activity is the key here. You don’t need to go overboard and exhaust yourself—just 30 minutes of walking or light cardio a few times a week can make a big difference.

Limit Caffeine

I know, I know—this one is tough. If you can’t live without caffeine, limit yourself to one cup of coffee daily—and make sure it’s early in the day, so it doesn’t affect your sleep later on.

Drink water

Not only does staying hydrated help our bodies to function properly by delivering nutrients and flushing toxins, but it can also provide a natural boost in energy levels. Most of our energy comes from the food and drinks we consume, and water helps to deliver these essential nutrients to our cells and organs.

There’s no need to rely on caffeine or other unnatural stimulants to get through the day—there are plenty of ways to boost your energy levels naturally. By following these simple tips, you’ll feel more energetic in no time.

Do you feel like you can’t ever kick that feeling that you didn’t get enough rest? No matter what you do, you’re always tired, and it bleeds into other aspects of your life as well. Chronic fatigue can massively deplete you, and it’s essential to get to the root of what’s going on so you can start to feel better.

What’s Happening with Chronic Fatigue

In your body, the parasympathetic nervous system and sympathetic nervous system come into play with chronic fatigue. The first is rest and digest, while the second is that famed fight or flight. You are either in one or the other. When stress happens, your body goes into fight or flight.

When your body is engaged in this fight or flight mode, it’s designed for survival and alertness. Of course, the modern human isn’t being chased by predators in the wild but more likely fielding stressful questions in a business meeting. These same biological processes happen, sending distress signals to your hypothalamus, which sends hormones to your bloodstream.

When this switch is flipped, the parasympathetic system is supposed to tell your other system to chill out and put it in rest and digest mode. Unfortunately, in chronic stress, this goes into a continuous loop, putting more stress on those adrenal glands.

Often, this is blamed on high cortisol, which does happen, but when these systems loop like this, you wind up paying the price for that low-grade, chronic stress.

The Symptoms

So, what happens now that your body is in a chronic state of stress? Weight gain and constipation are symptoms noticeable to us. However, the other symptoms aren’t things you can necessarily see or put your finger on.

With chronic fatigue, you lose important nutrients like magnesium and vitamin C, and your immune system can become compromised. You can also have trouble with digestion, blood sugar, and hormone levels.

These chronic stress reactions can manifest in a wide array of health conditions that we are looking to avoid.

What You Can Do About Chronic Fatigue

Since many chronic fatigue symptoms brought on by chronic stress can’t be seen, it’s best to get tested. Having your cortisol levels tested can be the clue you need to enacting a proper ritual to fight off chronic stress and chase that chronic fatigue away.

You can incorporate adaptogens to set your body back to homeostasis, focus on healthy eating, exercise, and rest. Still, without knowing what is setting off these spikes in your adrenaline, it’s merely a guessing game.

If you find the root cause, you can nip it in the bud and feel more like yourself again. 

Do you ever deal with a lack of clarity, sluggishness, or an inability to concentrate? Sometimes, the best way to describe it is just feeling “fuzzy.” I’m confident this is something we’ve all felt at times, but if you deal with this regularly, it’s time to get to the root of the brain fog so you can feel top-notch.

Here are seven ways to kick brain haze to the curb and lift the fog:

Ditch the sugar

I know, I know. Easier said than done, right? Sugar might give you initial pep, but what comes next is the energy plummet. Simple carbohydrates can also slow you down and make you feel sluggish.

Stop sitting for long periods

You may have an office job that has you sitting at a desk for most of the day, but taking short breaks throughout the day can combat the inactivity. So get up every 30 minutes to an hour to stretch or take a quick lap around the office. This movement gets the blood circulating and keeps things going throughout the day.

Make sleep and meditation top priorities

Why do we always put sleep on the back burner? Start going to bed earlier each night. If this is a recurring issue in your life, start by going to bed 30 minutes earlier each night for a week, and adding another 30 minutes the following week — until you get to a decent bedtime that gets you the sleep you need.

During the day, aim to meditate for at least 5-10 minutes. Meditation has the effect of making you feel well-rested and improves your mental well-being, clearing the fog.

Spend your spare time on cognitive puzzles

It’s too easy to zone out on the TV or social media. Challenge your mind to crosswords, sudoku, and other cognitive puzzles and games to keep your mind sharp.

Say ‘sayonara’ to stress

Focus on what stresses you out the most and turn it around for the better. There are always baby step improvements we can make to lessening our stress load — so start small, and start with something reasonable and actionable you can easily adjust to. If you haven’t been moving your body, also focus on some type of movement you enjoy to get your blood pumping, and your stress levels evened out.

Give St. John’s Wort a try

It’s a natural mood booster that could help you shake off that feeling of being “off” with brain fog. Don’t forget to consult your doctor first to make sure it won’t interfere with any medications you’re taking.

If nothing seems to help, though, schedule an appointment with your doctor to get thoroughly checked out. Brain fog can merely be a symptom of lack of sleep, or pushing yourself too hard. But it can also indicate an underlying condition if it persists.

Chances are, if you make some of these changes and see no improvement, your doctor will help you get to the root cause to clear away the fog.