Feeling sluggish and drained? It might be time to optimize your body’s natural energy systems. These five simple steps will help you boost your energy and feel more focused throughout the day.
1. Reset Your Circadian Rhythm
Our bodies have an internal clock called the circadian rhythm, which regulates sleep-wake cycles.
Getting morning sunlight signals your body to regulate cortisol levels and boost your energy, while sunset light helps reduce cortisol and stimulates serotonin and melatonin production.
- Action: Early morning: Go for a 5-30 minute walk. You can walk your dog, listen to a podcast or simply practice mindfulness. At dusk: Watch the beautiful sunset from your window, balcony or outdoors for at least 5 minutes (don’t stare directly at the sun).
2. Reduce Blue Light Exposure
Artificial light, cold light and especially the blue light emitted by screens (computer, phone, TV), can interfere with your melatonin production and sleep quality.
- Action: Put your phone away at 8pm (it can be hard the first days, but you’ll love it later!) and create a reading routine before bed (yellow page books and audiobooks over e-books).
- Go the extra mile: Use blue light blocking glasses to watch TV at night.
3. Temper Your Caffeine Wisely
Caffeine can be a valuable tool to boost your energy, but timing and quantity are crucial.
Drinking coffee minutes after waking up and on an empty stomach can overwhelm your brain and increase anxiety, caffeine close to bedtime can disrupt sleep quality (even when “you don’t feel like it does”) and some people may be more sensitive to caffeine’s effects due to genetic individualities (genes CYP1A2 and ADORA2A).
- Action: Wait 1h before waking up to have a cup of coffee, avoid caffeine after 2 pm to ensure undisturbed sleep and avoid drinking more than 200mg of caffeine per day (an average 8oz of coffee contains around 100mg of caffeine).
- Go the extra mile: Learn about your genetic individualities and tailor your actions accordingly. If you’d like to learn more about genetic testing, click here.
4. Wind Down with This Essential Mineral
Magnesium in present in over 300 metabolic reactions in our body and it plays a vital role in energy production and relaxation. Research suggests that magnesium supplementation can enhance sleep, reduce anxiety, and improve overall well-being
- Action: Take magnesium before bed to help improve deep sleep, muscle relaxation and to feel restful in the morning. My standard (and safe) recommendation would be 200mg of magnesium bisglycinate but it you should talk to your health professional before starting any new supplementation to your routine.
- Go the extra mile: If you’d like more insights on supplement suggestions and to support reliable brands, take a look at My Trusted Brands page.
5. Learn How To Activate Your Parasympathetic System
Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for relaxation and recovery, but also to bring you back to focus and clarity.
Studies have shown that deep breathing can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve heart rate variability.
- Action: Practice diaphragmatic breathing for a few minutes several times a day (do it when you feel brain fog, before and important meetings, at lunch time, before bed…).
By incorporating these biohacks into your daily routine, you can significantly boost your energy levels and improve overall well-being and hapiness.
Remember, consistency is key and understanding why you’re doing it helps you with discipline and habit formation.
Written by Chelsea Bezerra
