Fatigue
Fatigue
35 Hints for a High-Energy Life
Be honest. When you first heard the words, "energy crisis," did you think of Arab oil embargoes or yourself?
If you thought of yourself—struggling to start your inner engine in the morning, desperate to keep it humming after lunch in the afternoon, and only too willing to let it sputter to a stop in the evening—you are not alone.
Everyone, at one time or another, feels fatigued. And who wouldn't like to have more energy than they now have?
Unfortunately, having more energy is a lot like having more money—it's easier to talk about it than to get it. Yet it's also easier to increase your energy than you probably realize. Of course, the broad prescription from doctors is still the same: Get plenty of rest, eat a balanced diet, and exercise. But here physicians and other authorities on fatigue go beyond these generalities and offer more specific, high-octane suggestions.
So, ladies and gentlemen, please start your engines.
Warm up. "Give yourself an extra 15 minutes in the morning before you start your day," says Vicky Young, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "That way you don't start off feeling rushed and tired."
Eat a three-piece breakfast. The three components of a good breakfast are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, advises Rick Ricer, M.D., assistant professor of clinical family medicine at Ohio State University College of Medicine. Of course you don't want to addfat to your breakfast table. You will get plenty of fats, a good form of storable energy, in the proteins you eat.
But even cereal (a complex carbohydrate) with milk (a source of protein) can get your day off to a good start. Wheat toast and muffins are also good complex carbohydrate options. For protein, you might want to consider low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese, or a small piece of chicken or fish.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ricer warns not to eat an ultra-high carbohydrate breakfast laden with simple sugars. "You can actually overactivate your insulin and your blood sugar will drop: that can leave you jittery." So avoid the doughnut shop between home and office.
Know where you're going. If you don't, you will probably be too tired to get there. "Take time each morning to set specific goals for the day," says David Sheridan, M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. "Determine what you want to do: don't let the routine control you."
Arrest the energy robbers. "If it's a problem on the job, or if it's a family feud, you've got to resolve it," says M. F. Graham, M.D., a Dallas, Texas, consultant to the American Running and Fitness Association and author of Inner Energy: How to Overcome Fatigue.
But if you can't resolve your problem, "at least take a vacation from the situation," Dr. Ricer suggests. So if you're trying to hold down a second job, quit it or take a leave of absence. And if relatives have overstayed their welcome, politely suggest they visit again—in about three years.
Turn off to turn on. Television is famous—make that infamous—for lulling human beings into lethargy. "Try reading instead," Dr. Ricer says. "That has to be more energizing."
Work out to rev up. "Exercise actually gives you energy," Dr. Young says. Study after study supports those words, including one by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. More than 200 federal employees were placed on a moderate, regular exercise program. The results: 90 percent said they had never felt better. Almost half said they felt less stress, and almost one-third reported they slept better.
Dr. Young recommends giving yourself a dose of energetic exercise—brisk walking is enough—three to five times a week, for 20 to 30 minutes each time and no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
Remember—honesty is the best policy. For all the good exercise can do, it can be addictive. And you can overdose if you're not honest about what your body is telling you.
"I have to work at telling myself that it will be good for me, that I will gain by taking time off," says Mary Trafton, a hiker, marathoner, and skier who works for the Appalachian Mountain Club in Boston, Massachusetts.
Tackle one thing at a time. "Make lists," Dr. Sheraton says. "Many times, people feel fatigued because they think, 'I have so much to do I don't know where to start.' " By setting priorities and charting your progress as you make your way through the list, you can remain focused and energetic.
Take one a day. If you are guilty of missing meals, dieting, and not eating properly, Dr. Young says, taking one multivitamin and mineral supplement a day is a good idea. "A lack of good nutrition can cause fatigue, and a supplement can help make up for the missing nutrients. But don't look to a vitamin to give you instant energy," says Dr. Ricer.
"It's a fallacy that when you're tired you just take more vitamins and feel better," Dr. Ricer says. Only eating properly can do that.
Teach your body to tell time. Circadian rhythms act as our bodies' internal clocks, raising and lowering blood pressure and body temperature at different times throughout the day. This chemical action causes the "swings" we experience—from feeling alert to feeling mentally and physically fogged in.
So why are some people's natural peak times so inconvenient—like late at night? "I think sometimes people, perhaps without even knowing it, work themselves into a particular time cycle," says William Fink, an exercise physiologist and assistant to the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University.
Fink suggests changing your schedule, as much as practically possible, to complement your circadian rhythms. This can be done simply by getting up a little sooner or a little later—say 15 minutes—until you feel comfortable with it. Keep it up until you reach your desired schedule.
MEDICAL ALERT
When Tired Means Sick Fatigue may be just a signal that you need to manage your life better, or that a cold or flu is coming on. But it also can be a warning sign of serious illness. "Anything that's chronic—diabetes, lung disease, anemia—will cause fatigue," says Rick Ricer, M.D. Fatigue is also a symptom of many other illnesses, including hepatitis, mononucleosis, thyroid disease, and cancer. So if your tiredness persists, don't try to diagnose yourself. See a doctor. |
|
Put out the fire. Doctors always advise giving up smoking, but add this to the list of reasons: Smoking adversely affects the delivery of oxygen to tissues. The result is fatigue.
When you first quit, however, don't expect an immediate energy boost. Nicotine acts as a stimulant, and withdrawal may cause some temporary tiredness.
Make exercise an all-day activity. Whether you work out early, at lunchtime, or in the evening, don't save all your exercising for one block of time. "Get up and move around at least every couple of hours," Dr. Sheridan says.
The options are limitless: the executive who rides a stationary bicycle in the privacy of his office, the medical resident who runs hospital stairs, and the researcher who does isometric exercises sitting at her desk.
Just say no. "Learn to delegate," Dr. Sheridan says. If too many obligations or commitments are wearing you out, learn to say, "I will not serve on that committee."
Shed. As in pounds. "If you're obese—if you need to drop 20 percent of your weight or more—losing weight will be a great help," Fink says. Of course, make sure you follow a sensible diet in combination with exercise. Losing a lot of weight quickly isn't healthy and will wear you down.
Get fewer zzzzzzs. You can get too much of a good thing, even sleep. "If you oversleep, you tend to be groggy all day," Fink says. "Usually 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night is enough for most people."
Blow out the candle. Burning the candle at both ends—not going to bed until 2:00a.m. and getting up at 5:00 a.m., for example—will leave you feeling burned out. Don't shortchange yourself on sleep.
Get 20 winks. Naps aren't for everybody, but they might help recharge older people who aren't sleeping as soundly as they used to, Dr. Ricer says. Younger people with very hectic schedules and short nights also might consider taking naps. If you do decide to take naps, try to take them at the same time each day and for no more than an hour.
Breathe deeply. It's one of the best ways to relax and energize at the same time, according to doctors and athletes.
Just have one. Alcohol is a depressant, notes Dr. Ricer, and will calm you down, not rev you up. Limit your alcohol intake to one drink, Dr. Ricer suggests, or don't drink at all.
Eat a light lunch. Some doctors advise a light lunch to avoid a severe case of the post-lunch-I-want-to-sleep-on-my-desk blues. And for some people, this is probably the advice to follow. Soup and salad and a piece of fruit is light but nutritious.
Make lunch your big meal of the day. If soup and salad and a piece of fruit don't satisfy you, Dr. Young suggests eating your largest meal of the day at lunch and following it up with a 20-minute walk. Eating most of your calories early in the day will give you the fuel you need to keep perking. But you've got to be selective in the type of fuel you choose. Carbohydrate, for example, is a fast burner. Fat, on the other hand, burns slowly meaning it'll slow you down, too.
Say adios. "In a lot of cases, taking a vacation is almost mandatory," Dr. Ricer says. "If you haven't had a vacation in a long time, a vacation can be the perfect energy booster." That's real good advice.
Divert your energy. Strong emotion is mentally draining, but it can be physically draining, too, says Dr. Young. Redirect strong emotions, such as anger, and apply that energy to your job or a workout.
Open Your Mind to Energy When your mind goes, your body goes. That the mind can influence the body is now generally accepted. But have you accepted it? Are you aware that your thoughts can have a lot to do with how tired you feel? Well, they can. So here are some beneficial attitudes that can affect your energy level. Think positive. Championship athletes do it, successful corporate executive officers do it, and you should do it. "It's important to think positively," says Mary Trafton, an avid hiker and marathoner. "If I step in a huge puddle while hiking, I don't think, 'Ah, I'm going to be cold and tired.' I think about the wool socks I have on for protection and warmth." Be motivated. When you think about it, it's pretty hard to do much of anything if you're not motivated. But it's next to impossible to accomplish tasks that require mega-energy if your spirit just isn't in it. Take E. Drummond King, for example. He participates in the grueling Iron Man competitions in Hawaii—where competitors swim, bicycle, and run long distances for hours on end. He says when he has been too far behind to win his age group (50-54), he has finished the race by walking instead of running. Yet when there's a chance to win, or a bet riding on how long it takes him, he somehow finds the energy to continue running. Be confident. Chances are good that if you feel you can do it, you will have the energy to do it. And once you've proven to yourself that you've got the energy, you will become even more confident. That's the way they feel at the University of Miami, where winning on the football field is expected. "We encourage our athletes by telling them that they're in better shape than their opponents and that the fourth quarter is ours," says Bill Foran, head strength and conditioning coach at the university. |
|
Color your world. "If you live in a dark, dark house, you're going to feel fatigued," Dr. Ricer says. He suggests a little sunshine—literally or figuratively. Several studies have shown that lots of color and lots of variety are important in keeping energy levels high. Red, for example, is good for short-term, high-energy stimulation, while green is good at eliminating distractions and maintaining focus for long periods of time.
Tune in. Music can light your fire, Dr. Ricer says. Listen to U2, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra—whatever and whoever peps you up.
Give yourself a target. Some people simply need deadlines to keep moving forward, Dr. Sheridan says. If you're like that, give yourself both short and long deadlines—so neither becomes too routine.
Make a splash. When fatigue starts to drop one New York stockbroker, he doesn't buy or sell. He stops—long enough to hit himself in the face with splashes of cold water.
But if he were home, perhaps a cold shower would restore his energy even better. Cascading water emits negative ions in the air, which surround the body. Negative ions are thought to make some people feel happier and more energetic.
Drink up. Not booze but water. The day before you're going to be out in the hot sun and physically active—say a day at Disney World with the grandchildren—doctors advise that you drink plenty of water and continue to do so on the day of the activity. This will guard against dehydration, which in turn can cause fatigue.
E. Drummond King, an over-50 triathlete, learned the hard way that it's best to start drinking a lot of fluids the day before his body is going to need them.
"The major problem is dehydration and the fatigue that comes with it," he says. "Now I spend the day before walking around with a water bottle in my hand."
Rethink your medications. Do you really need to take all those prescription and over-the-counter medicines? If not, you may be shocked at what eliminating or reducing dosages of certain medications may do for you.
Sleeping pills, for example, are notorious for their next-day hangover effects. But also among the villains, according to doctors, are high blood pressure medicines and cough and cold medicines.
If you suspect a medication is guilty of grand theft energy, discuss if with your doctor. Maybe he can change your prescription, or better yet, take you off the medicine altogether. But never stop taking a prescription medication without your doctor's approval.
If it feels good, do it. There's no denying the pleasures of massages, whirlpools, and steam baths. "It's hard to study scientifically whether or not they lessen fatigue," says Fink. "But there are those who swear by then. I'm convinced, too—if people feel better, they'll perform better."
Change and explore. Sometimes fatigue can be caused by being in a rut. Even the simplest of changes, says Dr. Ricer, can make the difference. If you always start your day by reading the paper, for example, try reading something inspirational. If you always eat fish for Monday dinner, reel in chicken next Monday instead. If you're a daily runner, try interspersing some scenic bicycle rides.
Curb your caffeine. One or two cups of coffee can work to kick you into gear in the morning, says Dr. Ricer, but its benefits usually end there. Too much caffeine is just as bad as too much of anything. Drinking it throughout the day for an energy boost can actually backfire.
Caffeine is a magician, Dr. Ricer says. "It makes you feel like you have more energy, but you really don't."
Dr. Ricer advises at least cutting back on caffeine to reduce the roller-coaster effect. "If someone is looking for an energy boost," Fink says, "I would hesitate to recommend caffeine."
PANEL OF ADVISERS
William Fink is an exercise physiologist and assistant to the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
Bill Foran is head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
M. F. Graham, M.D., is a pediatrician in Dallas, Texas, and a consultant to the American Running and Fitness Association. He is also author of Inner Energy: How to Overcome Fatigue.
E. Drummond King is a triathlete and a lawyer in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Rick Ricer, M.D., is assistant professor of clinical family medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus.
David Sheridan, M.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia.
Mary Trafton is a hiker, marathoner, and skiier and information specialist for the Appalachian Mountain Club in Boston, Massachusetts.
Vicky Young, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
