If you’re like most people, you struggle to get enough energy when you wake up in the morning. Even if you got a full eight hours of sleep, it can be tough to get up and moving when you feel like you’re mentally and physically dragging. However, you don’t have to endure your day feeling like you haven’t gotten enough sleep. If you need a morning energy boost, here are three components to improving your vitality levels.
Nutrition
The first step to getting the energy you need in the mornings is to take a look at your nutrition. Your body needs fuel to thrive, and if you don’t have adequate power to run your body, you’re going to feel like you’re running ragged. Before you can evaluate your energy needs for the morning, you need to make sure you’re eating enough.
Along with eating enough food, there’s also the matter of eating the right food. If a majority of your diet consists of simple, processed carbs and sugars, you may have short bursts of energy throughout the day, but you’ll probably find that you fade pretty quickly.
Rather than filling your nutritional plan with processed foods, do your best to put plenty of whole foods in your diet. Even including things like green superfood powder in a breakfast smoothie can give you some of the long-term energy you need to get through the day.
Sleep
The second component of having enough energy to get through the day is getting proper sleep. If you aren’t sleeping enough, or your sleep isn’t good quality, your body will constantly be running on energy reserves. Getting adequate rest is foundational for having enough drive to get everything done.
When you’re asleep, your body is still active. Tissues are healing, whether you got a paper cut or you’re sick. Your body is working to repair those damaged cells and get you back to 100% again. Your nerves reset themselves, allowing your mind to start fresh in the morning.
When it comes to restoring energy levels, sleep works in two main ways to help you. First, adenosine and glycogen are replenished while you’re resting. These chemicals help store and produce energy in your brain. Second, REM sleep speeds up your metabolism, allowing you to release more drive during the day. If you want to feel energetic throughout your day, you need to make sure you’re getting enough rest.
Exercise
Finally, exercising can help boost your energy levels throughout the day. If you live a mostly sedentary lifestyle, your body isn’t producing as many new cells or pumping adequate resources to existing cells. On the flip side, if you exercise properly, the cells in your body can develop more mitochondria, allowing your metabolism to speed up gradually.
This increase in your metabolism helps you store more nutrients from your food, therefore boosting the amount of energy you’re getting at mealtimes. Rather than only feeling restored for a short time after you eat, exercising can help you feel satisfied for longer after a meal. This long-release energy can allow you to get more done throughout the day, and live a generally more productive lifestyle.
Additionally, living an active life helps you sleep better. When you’re moving plenty during the day, whether that’s through a workout or simply having a mobile job, you’ll feel worn out by the time evening comes. Your circadian rhythm will kick in right on time, helping you regulate your sleep schedule. When you do fall asleep, chances are you’ll get a higher quality of deep and REM sleep, which replenishes your energy reserves in turn. By keeping things moving during the day, you benefit both your body and mind.
Overall, keeping a high energy level throughout the day can feel impossible. Depending on your job or home life, you may feel like there’s no amount of energy that could properly get you through the day. However, with these three tips, you can boost your drive and make it with no problems.
