If you’re like me, you experience tiredness at three particular points of the day: in the morning, between 1:30pm and 4:30pm, and about two hours before you actually want to go to sleep at night. If you’re not like me, then you have a completely different pattern that I wouldn’t possibly know about. Regardless, the tips I’ve compiled here should help you as well.
1. Drink your water!
It amazes me how people think they can get away with guzzling down sodas and other sugary drinks all day. You’re body needs water! When you aren’t hydrated, your blood thickens (because it is composed mostly of water after all), which makes your poor little heart work harder, which results in drowsiness. Keep a cup on your desk or re-usable water bottle by your side as all times.
2. Eat breakfast.
Before I get any flack for this, I’m not saying you need to go to Denny’s and gulp down a grand slam or two. A power bar will do, or even a tiny bowl of cereal or a single egg. Eating breakfast has been proven to improve how you feel mentally and physically, which is just what you need after waking up all fatigued.
3. Exercise!
There’s nothing like a good run in the morning to kill off every ounce of tiredness in your body. I have no scientific proof, but for me, performing some kind of morning exercise means I’m showered and ready for my day about three hours earlier (on average) than I would be otherwise!
4. Go to bed you crazy kids!
Yes, unsurprisingly, getting to bed earlier will make you more energetic the next day. I know it’s tough, but think of it this way. Would you rather have those four hours you spend from 10PM to 2AM, or an entire day’s worth of feeling awake, with the only catch being that you’d have to go to bed around 10:30PM? Seems like an obvious choice to me…
5. Fast music will pump you up.
If you haven’t heard of the song Through the Fire and the Flames, you might want to look it up, because it’s perfect for this. Rapid, upbeat music won’t help as much as a nap (probably), but it might just make you a bit more alert than you were before…
6. Chill out, bro.
Being cold keeps you awake. It’s why your dad always turned the AC up to max in the car when driving you and your family late at night. So if you’re nodding off, start peeling away layers of clothing until you stop feeling tired (maybe you can play I’m Too Sexy while you do so).
7. Eat every 3-4 hours.
This isn’t possible for many of us, but eating small meals evenly scattered throughout the day will keep your energy a bit more level than it would be if you only eat two huge portions every 24 hours.
8. Don’t drink too much caffeine.
Wait what? Being a coffee lover, this was a tough one for me to take. Basically, you’ll want to watch your caffeine intake after noon. Apparently, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, drinking it after that time can lead to your sleep quality taking a nosedive.
9. Social interaction is your friend.
The catch is that this social interaction must be with a complete stranger. We couldn’t care less about being alert and conscious for our family or best friends, but an acquaintance? We’ll snap right out of our fatigue for them!
10. Lifesavers can be a life saver.
Yes, mints can keep you awake! You’ll probably need something stronger than a Lifesaver, like, maybe an Altoid, but that wasn’t nearly punny enough.
11. Massage the area between your palm and wrist.
Ok, I just learned about this one, and believe it or not it actually works. Doesn’t feel too terrible either! It’s calming, but only the point that you become energized and not narcoleptic.
12. Take a nap.
This one is pretty obvious. Apologies. Nap for around 20 minutes and you’ll be supercharged for the next few hours.
13. Go outside. No, not outside your room. Like, really outside! Where the sun is!
Just feeling the rays emanating from that blazing ball of heat on our bare skin can jolt us awake. It has something to do with vitamin D, probably. Or maybe it’s the fact that you’re getting fresh air for the first time in weeks.
That’s all folks. I’m sure you have a few fatigue fighting tricks up your sleeve as well, and if so, share below!
Featured photo credit: Weakness: 6 of 8/ Marco Sanchez via flickr.com
