Energy boost in the morning
13 Quick Ways to Banish Morning Fatigue
Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., CNE, COI — By Sarah Garone — Updated on August 25, 2020
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When waking up is hard to do, consider the following strategies.
We’ve all had those mornings when we just can’t shake a feeling of sluggishness, even when we’ve technically gotten enough sleep. In an effort to perk up on tired days, many of us load up on cup after cup of coffee.
But over-caffeinating can leave us jittery and anxious (not to mention perpetually running to the bathroom).
Perhaps there’s a better way to banish morning fatigue and get on with your day with the energy you need.
That beloved button on top of your alarm clock may not be so helpful after all.
Spending the last half hour or so of nighttime rest in what researchers call “fragmented sleep” has consequences for your ability to function throughout the day.
Pro-tip: Try the 90-minute sleep cycle hack by setting two alarms — one for 90 minutes before you want to wake up and one for when you actually want to wake up.
The theory is that the 90 minutes of sleep you get between snoozes will be a full sleep cycle, allowing you to wake up after your REM state, instead of during.
Fatigue is a classic symptom of dehydration, and even a mild case can trigger feelings of sleepiness, changes in cognitive ability, and mood disruptions. Let a glass of water freshen up your entire body before you get moving.
Pro-tip: If you find you still can’t shake morning lethargy, try upping your intake of water and other noncaffeinated beverages throughout the day.
There’s a reason it feels so good to stretch when you wake up. Overnight, during REM sleep, your muscles are literally paralyzed (atonia), and reactivating them releases energy-stimulating endorphins.
Pro-tip: If you have a bit of time for morning yoga, take it; just 25 minutes has been shown to boost energy levels and brain function.
Cold showers are reported to reduce sick-day absences from work. If you don’t want to take a full shower, a splash of cold water to the face, to signal a temperature change to your body, may also do the trick.
Is getting out of bed the main problem? Keep a spray bottle or water mist by your bedside table so you can lean over and mist yourself without even opening your eyes!
Pro-tip: One cult-favorite product is Saborino’s Morning Face Mask from Japan, which has essential oils to activate your senses. In one minute, this sheet mask cleanses, invigorates, and moisturizes your skin.
Note: People with sensitive skin may want to avoid this product.
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The jury is still out on whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But research does say that skipping this first meal can negatively affect your energy and ability to pay attention throughout the day.
Food is fuel. Give your body some calories to put it into action at the start of the day.
But if you’re working out in the morning, remember to eat after, not before. This will (a) burn more calories, (b) boost your metabolism, and (c) help you avoid an unsettled stomach.
Pro tip: Build a fatigue-fighting breakfast instead.Since what you eat at breakfast can affect how you feel for hours, making the right choice is critical for your morning.
Reach for a combination of fatigue-fighting foods like lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, and lower-sugar fruits.
All breakfasts are not created equal, so take stock of your morning food choices. Sugary items like sweetened coffee drinks, pastries, and breakfast cereals can lead to the classic blood sugar spike-and-drop that leaves you feeling drained.
Pro-tip: Pay attention to nutrition labels to see how much sugar you’re getting at breakfast — and cut back wherever possible. Keep whole foods like apples, carrots, and oranges on hand for easy access.
That’s right, we said less coffee — but not none! Though coffee has plenty of health benefits, chugging a lot in the morning may indirectly contribute to increased fatigue later in the day.
Participants in one study reported feeling more tired the day after they had consumed caffeinated drinks. Experimenting with a reduced amount of caffeine in the morning actually may make you less tired.
Pro-tip: Avoid the big mugs. Purchase a smaller cup, if you have to, to help reduce the amount you drink.
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Sunlight bumps up your body’s serotonin levels, leading to improved sleep — and, therefore, increased daytime energy. And, according to a series of studies at the University of Rochester, spending time in nature “makes people feel more alive.”
Sounds like a very good reason to carve out a portion of your morning in the great outdoors.
Pro-tip: If going outside is a chore in the early morning, adjust your curtain so that the sunlight seeps in when you’re getting ready to wake up.
Sure, when you want to crawl back into bed, exercise may sound pretty unappealing — but it may be exactly what your body needs to get help booting up.
Research consistently correlates aerobic exercise with reduced fatigue.
See if you can squeeze in a quick walk or bike ride, or try a longer workout for even more benefit.
Pro-tip: When pressed for time, get your body up with a few rounds of high-knees and jumping jacks. Even 30 seconds of torso twists could do the trick, or plan a short cardio commute on your way to work.
Is it possible that negative feelings about your job or stressors at home are draining you of morning oomph?
You may not be able to fix certain situations overnight, but once you’ve identified them as a source of mental and physical exhaustion, you can often take some action to alleviate them.
Pro-tip: Streamline harried mornings at home by making school lunches the night before, or make time for morning meditations and create calm before your day begins.
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Sometimes all we need for an energy boost is a little excitement on the horizon.
To beat morning fatigue, consider scheduling a phone call with a friend during your commute, penciling in an outdoor walk on your midmorning break, or pre-making an appealing breakfast that calls you out of bed.
Pro-tip: Let another schedule determine yours. Make an earlier morning podcast or radio show part of your wake-up routine.
If morning fatigue becomes a chronic problem, it could be caused by depression or anxiety. People with depression can feel worse in the morning or only feel depressed in the morning.
The only way to know, however, is to track your mood or see a professional.
Pro-tip: Dig a little deeper. Asking some key questions about your mental health state may reveal an underlying condition that needs professional attention.
If your bedtime habits can have so profound an effect on your rest, so too could your waking routine. You’ve probably heard of sleep hygiene — the handful of best practices that help you fall asleep at night.
These include:
- turning off screens an hour before bed
- turning in at the same time each night
- creating a comfortable sleeping environment
Getting up at the same time each morning helps maintain circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock that’s responsible for feelings of sleepiness.
Make an effort to rise at the same time every day — even on weekends — to see if you can banish the midmorning slump.
Sarah Garone, NDTR, is a nutritionist, freelance health writer, and food blogger. She lives with her husband and three children in Mesa, Arizona. Find her sharing down-to-earth health and nutrition info and (mostly) healthy recipes at A Love Letter to Food.
11 ways to have more energy in the mornings
Morning fatigue is normal for many people. While it is important to focus on underlying causes to ensure good quality sleep, there may be ways to energize the body and help someone feel more awake in the mornings.
In this article, we discuss tips that may help a person feel energetic in the morning or wake up quicker.
Share on PinterestDrinking water first thing may help a person feel more energetic in the morning.Someone who drinks water first thing in the morning helps provide their body with the hydration it needs to start the day. It can also ward off any sleepiness from mild dehydration. A common symptom of dehydration includes fatigue.
When a person drinks water, it stimulates other organs and systems in the body, and may encourage a more wakeful state.
Some people prefer a glass of warm water, or water with lemon and cinnamon, to further stimulate the body.
Someone who performs simple stretches helps warm up their muscles and promote circulation in the body, which could aid waking up in the morning. Many people stretch instinctively, such as moving their arms over their head, or extending their legs in bed.
A person who takes 5 minutes to stretch or perform some simple yoga poses may help awaken their muscles and body.
Exercise while tired may not sound appealing, but it can stimulate the body, get the blood flowing, and help make a person feel more alert. The workout does not have to be intense.
Simple activities, such as a short brisk walk, dancing to music, or even a few jumping jacks, can help get the heart and breathing rate up, which can wake the body up faster.
Breathing exercises can stimulate the body, as it raises oxygen within the circulation, which could make a person feel more awake.
Long, deep breaths, or guided breathing meditation techniques may help someone feel more awake and alert.
When someone wakes up to an abrupt alarm, the temptation to snooze for a few extra minutes may feel good, but it could make them feel more tired when they wake up again.
As they try to fall back asleep, they are unlikely to feel the benefits of rest, and may instead experience sleep inertia. This is the feeling of confusion and fatigue after waking up.
For many people, it may be better to immediately get out of bed and start their day when the alarm clock goes off.
If this is difficult, a person can try to keep the alarm out of reach from the bed. If they place the alarm across the room, they will be less likely to snooze, as they physically need to get out of bed and turn it off.
Cold showers in the morning may energize and invigorate. While warm showers tend to relax the body and mind, cold water may do the opposite.
A 2016 study suggests that an increased norepinephrine concentration occurs from having a cold shower.
A study in North American Journal of Medical Sciences notes that cold water causes the deeper tissue blood vessels to dilate, which increases heart rate, blood flow, and circulation. Therefore, cold showers may stimulate the body to wake up and be more alert, causing a person to feel energized.
If a person does not wish to have a cold shower, they can splash cold water on their face. This may produce a similar stimulating effect.
Some scents tend can quickly make a person feel awake or brighter, though effects vary from person to person.
Simple smells such as brewing coffee, fresh peppermint, or lemon zest may help energize someone almost instantly.
An animal study in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that some smells may help reduce fatigue, including essential oils of:
- rosemary
- peppermint
- orange
- clove
While the study focuses on sluggishness from exercise fatigue, the same oils may help invigorate someone in the morning.
While breakfast is important to energize the body, it may have the opposite effect if someone eats a large meal. People who consume a big breakfast may notice they feel more sluggish as the body digests their meal.
They may also rely on stimulants, such as caffeine, to give them energy.
Learn more about why people feel tired after eating.
A smaller and healthful breakfast may help people start their day quicker and sustain their energy levels. They could try porridge, cereals, eggs, fruits, and vegetables.
Learn more about the best foods to eat for energy.
Stimulants are a simple way to get an energy boost in the morning. Caffeinated drinks, such as coffee and tea, are popular breakfast choices because they are effective.
However, many people can experience a caffeine crash after a few hours, and energy levels may drop to even lower than before.
A study in Open Access Journals of Clinical Trials notes that while cognitive abilities can receive a boost with caffeine, these levels reduce around 5 hours afterward. This could encourage someone to consume higher quantities of caffeine to stay awake or alert.
This can also affect sleep for that evening, and result in more fatigue the next morning.
While it may seem difficult at first, a person who avoids stimulants in the morning may have more natural energy throughout the day.
A person who takes in sunlight after waking up, for example, during a morning walk, may feel more energized.
This is because the short wavelength blue light found in sunlight stimulates the brain.
A study in the Journal of Biophotonics notes that this short wavelength light is important to suppress melatonin in the brain, which is a hormone that makes a person sleepy.
The best way to ensure someone gets energy in the morning is to ensure good sleeping habits. People who wake in the morning and feel tired may wish to look at their nighttime routines, and make changes to help them get better rest.
Some research suggests that more than a third of adults in the United States do not get enough regular sleep.
Some general sleep tips include:
- sleeping between 7-9 hours every night
- avoiding sources of bright lights and loud noises, such as televisions, computers, and mobile screens
- turning off all bedroom lights
- listening to the body’s sleep signals
- going to bed and waking up around the same time every day
- trying a relaxing routine, such as a warm bath, or reading
- avoiding stimulants or exercises shortly before bedtime
There are several ways to help someone get more energy in the morning.
While these tips will work for many people in the short term, it is important to create long-term habits that help them feel energized throughout their day.
A person can practice a combination of good sleep habits and morning routines to help them muster enough energy in the morning.
7 Habits of a Cheerful Morning
7 useful habits will help you make your morning cheerful and productive!
And yet, they will reduce stress, normalize sleep and generally improve the quality of life.
Wake up at the same time
Wake up at the same time, even on weekends. Determine in advance when you need to get up, based on the time you spend on morning procedures, fees, and the road. The habit of waking up at the same time improves the quality of sleep. You may not even need an alarm later on, as waking up will be much easier. In addition, you will feel much more cheerful, some even refuse the usual morning coffee.
Spend the morning without gadgets
Scientists from the IDC Research Institute (UK) found that 80% of smartphone users check their mobile devices within 15 minutes after waking up - and this is a big mistake.
First, when you open your phone immediately after waking up, you are faced with a flood of information, news, tasks, messages, and other stimuli that can lead to stress and anxiety. Secondly, there is a high probability of wasting precious time on social networks and news to the detriment of breakfast and morning procedures. Ten minutes on the Internet can easily turn into thirty or even an hour of wasted time.
Wash your face
Wash your face, it will help you wake up. Try not to skip brushing your teeth, even if you are in a hurry or think your teeth are clean. Brushing your teeth minimizes the amount of bacteria that live in plaque and in the mouth. It is these microbes that cause bad breath and ultimately cause cavities. Brushing your teeth and flossing helps prevent gum disease.
Exercise
There are many benefits to working out in the morning that you won't get at any other time of the day. Exercise releases endorphins, or happiness hormones, which is especially important in the morning to help you cope with stress throughout the day.
It is not necessary to go to the gym, exercises can be done at home. Even light gymnastics, stretching exercises will give you a boost of energy.
Drink a glass of water
Most people are thirsty when they wake up. It is best to quench your thirst with plain water. A glass of pure water on an empty stomach turns on the digestive system and activates the metabolism.
It is also important to drink throughout the day. How? 43 ml per 1 kg of body weight. Coffee and tea don't count.
Eat breakfast
The first meal affects weight control, cardio-metabolic risk factors. The level of stress and depression is lower in those people who do not neglect breakfast in the morning. But it’s not enough just to have breakfast, it’s important that it be right.
The secret of a healthy breakfast is whole grains (whole grain bread, porridge), protein (lean meats, legumes, nuts), low-fat dairy products (cottage cheese, milk, natural cheeses), fruits and vegetables are a must.
Complex carbs, fiber, protein and low fat - a combination that provides health benefits and keeps you full for hours.
Plan your day
In addition to work, include a walk in your schedule, you can walk to work if the distance allows you to refuse transport. Include physical education minutes or just short breaks in your work schedule to take a break from the computer, change your position, walk around.
You can add your healthy habits, such as morning jog, 50 squats, a bowl of green salad. Start the day with a cheerful morning and a positive attitude will continue until the evening!
What to do in the morning to feel vigor all day - Doctors / HB Councils / HB
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July 1, 2021, 06:05
Author: Anastasia Omelchenko
The first minutes after waking up in the morning are crucial for your condition and mood for the whole day.
If you start the day on the right note, you will feel a surge of strength and energy, which is enough to last until the evening.
And if your morning is built incorrectly, then at the beginning of the day you will feel tired and lethargic.
Video of the day
Let's figure out how to start the morning in the most effective way. What do doctors say about this?
Five things to do right after you wake up?
1 Drink water
The body is designed in such a way that we begin to feel thirsty even when dehydration occurs. Therefore, nutritionists recommend drinking water throughout the day, without waiting until you feel dry mouth and thirst.
And you need to start right in the morning.
Even if you don't feel thirsty, start your morning with a glass of water. Preferably - the most ordinary drinking. A glass of water is a real energy dope for the body.
Water helps oxygen move more easily to the body, explains nutritionist Stephanie Nelson, particularly between muscles and internal organs.
This leads to a feeling of cheerfulness. While dehydration, according to numerous studies, in most people is associated with a feeling of fatigue, lethargy and drowsiness.
There is nothing wrong with drinking tea and coffee - contrary to popular myths, in reality these drinks do not lead to dehydration, says Michelle Smallidge from the University of Connecticut.
2 Breathe deeply
Many people feel lethargic and depressed after waking up from sleep. In fact, we are dealing with the most ordinary stress - you have just left the comfortable atmosphere of sleep and a warm bed, a difficult day ahead, etc.
Treat yourself to a little breathing therapy session, recommends American physician Gregory Katz from the University of Connecticut.
For this it is not at all necessary to comprehend the complex science of yoga, he notes.
Just close your eyes for a few minutes and try to breathe deeply. This slows down the pulse, saturates the blood with oxygen and brings the body into tone, the physician notes.
3 Morning exercises
Movement is life. And even a little physical activity, according to numerous studies, is associated with an increase in life expectancy.
It is extremely important that even small sessions of gymnastics or light exercises are almost the best way to give yourself a boost of energy.
There is no need to do complex exercises or have a real workout in the morning (unless you are serious about fitness).
A few key joint stretches are enough to get the blood flowing and energize a little. In addition, Katz notes, the positive effect of such exercises is not only a physical effect on the body, but also a psychological one.
4 Eat a healthy breakfast
Even though intermittent fasting is becoming more and more fashionable, Smallage says it's best to listen to your body and follow its natural rhythms.
In the morning, a nutritionist recommends breakfast with an emphasis on proteins and healthy fats.
