Fighting fatigue: why we can't seem to stay awake

Balance is something we all strive for. From our sleep pattern to our eating habits, we seek a sense of symmetry. While I am sure we all try to make an effort to get the recommended hours of sleep every night and eat a nutritious diet, life tends to get in the way from time to time. We end up catching up on sleep whenever we can and grabbing food that's convenient but not always good for us. The result shows up as a lack of energy or unpredictable bouts of fatigue which can hamper our quality of life.

With 81% of UK workers reportedly struggling to stay awake, this is a problem that plagues almost all of us. While we can't quite control what happens in our daily lives (as much as we try!), we should incorporate habits to cope with our fatigue as best as we can to avoid this turning into chronic fatigue or even insomnia.

Dehydration

Other bodies try to let us know we are short on something in a variety of ways, and sometimes this is not always obvious. Being dehydrated can often show up as tiredness. You may experience headaches, nausea and poor concentration. Without a regular intake of fluids throughout the day, your body starts to conserve the water it does have and you may end up feeling tired.

Checking the colour of your urine is a quick way to determine if you’re sufficiently hydrated. It should be very pale but if it’s yellow to dark yellow, then you are likely to be dehydrated.

Drinking a large glass of water should instantly bring back some energy into your body. While you might think to grab another cup of coffee, this could lead to further dehydration.

Lack of natural light

Get outside! Artificial lighting has been shown to affect our energy levels, while exposure to natural bright light helps us feel more awake through your brain's melatonin production mechanism, which turns off when we are outside. Time your outdoor breaks well - be it having your lunch outside, training outdoors or even positioning your desk close to a window.

Digital burn-out

Yes your devices could be making you tired. Sensory overstimulation has become a huge problem these days where we are constantly (simultaneously) being exposed to and seeking new information that we can digest, thanks to the waves of messages, texts, tweets and all manner of other information that come our way throughout the day. There is also an impact from the blue light emitted by digital devices which can interfere with sleep, so putting these devices away two or three hours before bedtime can help to reduce the stimulation during the time your brain is preparing you for sleep. Banning all digital devices from your bedroom can also help to create a blue-light free zone and program your mind to know entering the bedroom means it is time for sleep.

Your diet

While it is all too easy to reach for processed or convenience foods to satisfy our hunger or cravings, they are usually the culprits of fatigue. At the same time eating a healthy balanced diet with at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, can also be a challenge because we might not always have access to this when we are out and about.

Meal planning on an off day can be very helpful when trying to eat well. Meal planning doesn't mean eating the same food every day but what it does do, is allow yourself to see what food you will be eating throughout the week and having the food ready to grab when you don't have the luxury of time.

Incorporate foods such as nuts and lentils to your diet as they contain energy-releasing protein, and plenty of iron-rich foods, which may also help with energy, such as eggs, seaweed, lean red meat, green leafy veg and shellfish. Try cutting down on tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and chocolate – all of which can deliver a short burst of energy but later result in an energy crash which brings you back to square one.

Your supplements

And for those of you looking for the simplest method of all: changing up your supplements. A comprehensive supplement with highly bio-available ingredients could be the difference between a productive energetic day and a day where you are fighting to stay awake.

Our Advanced Multivitamin capsules are an easy way to achieve sustainable energy levels throughout the day, with each dose containing powerful ingredients and nutrients in our Advanced Multivitamin Capsules that do so much more than your average multivitamin. Our Advanced Multivitamin is carefully formulated with only the best nutrient forms, providing maximum bioavailability with the use of BioPerine™ as a special ingredient to increase absorption. These ingredients in our capsules have been designed to boost energy levels, especially:

• Iron
• Lion's mane
• Magnesium
• Turmeric
• Choline
• Reishi Mushroom
• Vitamins A, B12

A small change to our diets and lifestyles has the potential to create a huge impact on how tired we feel throughout the day, so even taking small steps will have us all feeling a little bit more rested and ready to take on our daily lives.