How to Boost Energy (When You're Getting No Sleep)
As a new mom, this topic is very near and dear to my heart. Like most new parents, we’ve had our share of sleepless nights and, unfortunately, no matter how little sleep we’ve had the night before, the responsibilities of the next day don’t let up. As someone who has never struggled to get quality sleep in the past, the fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. If you’re reading this, chances are you can relate.
The good news is that it is possible to increase your energy levels despite getting insufficient sleep. It takes work and a strong commitment to caring for yourself in other areas of your life, but if you’re looking to improve your energy levels and getting more sleep just isn’t an option, this post will show you how.
If you’re new here, let me take a minute to introduce myself. I’m Nicole, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist whose specialty is helping others live anti-inflammatory, immunity-boosting, low-toxin lifestyles. If this resonates with you, then keep on reading.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links, we may receive a commission.
Hydrate
All health improvements begin with hydration, including increasing your energy, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day. If you need a little more flavor, try adding lemon, lime, or other fruits to your water. I recommend avoiding juices, sodas, or excess caffeine. Caffeine acts as a diuretic and can dehydrate you with the more you drink, not to mention the crash that comes with it. Juices and sodas have a ton of sugar in them which can result in sugar spikes that give you temporary energy followed by a crash. Long-term, all that sugar is going to slow you down even more.
Another – in my opinion, undervalued – way to stay hydrated is to eat plenty of fruit! Fruit is mostly water and a great way to help with hydration. It can also prevent tiredness due to hunger.
Exercise
I get it – no one wants to be told to exercise when you’re already exhausted, but hear me out on this one. Getting regular exercise is going to contribute to your overall health – healthy people have more energy. This is going to help you drastically in the long run.
If you’re chronically sleep deprived, I don’t recommend high-impact, cortisol-inducing workouts. These are going to put far too much stress on the body and leave you feeling more tired and depleted. What I do recommend is restorative, low-impact workouts such as Pilates, yoga, weightlifting, or even going for a walk. These are gentle on the body and will leave you feeling energized.
Get Quality Sleep
If you can’t get a lot of sleep, you want to make sure you’re at least getting good quality sleep. What I mean by this is that the sleep you’re getting should be deep and restorative. There are a few ways you can go about improving sleep quality. As I mentioned above, exercise! Daily exercise has been proven to improve sleep. Along those same lines, you can also improve sleep quality by getting outdoors, especially first thing in the morning. You see, fresh air and sunlight are great for you no matter the time of day, but when you get outside in the morning and the sunlight hits your eyes it helps to aid your circadian rhythm. Without getting too nerdy, the sunlight hitting your eyes signals your body that your day has begun and later on in the evening the necessary sleep hormones will be released to help you fall asleep at the time that is optimal for your body.
Another great way to improve your sleep is to reduce your screen time – especially before bed. The blue light from screens is extremely stimulating and signals to the brain that it’s wake time – preventing your body from releasing those very important sleep hormones. Avoiding screens at least 2 hours before bed can help your body prepare for sleep naturally. If you can’t avoid screens, you can usually set them to night mode so they’re a little bit easier on the eyes.
Finally, magnesium. Magnesium has been a bit of a hot topic lately as the benefits have greatly come to light and more and more people are realizing they’re deficient. Magnesium deficiency can cause a wide variety of symptoms including difficulty sleeping. If this is the case for you, supplementing could be a good option (always discus with your doctor first). Cymbiotika makes a topical magnesium supplement that can be used before bed to improve sleep.
Quality Nutrition
If you can’t fuel your body with sleep, you’re going to need to fuel it with good nutrition. First and foremost, I recommend avoiding highly processed, greasy, fried, fast foods and sweets. Keep in mind, if you’re sleep deprived and experiencing low mood and energy, there’s a high probability that you’re actually going to crave these foods for the instant mood-boosting effects. However, shortly after eating these you’ll start to feel lethargic and that feeling will last way longer than the former.
Instead, I recommend eating clean, simple foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean protein, and healthy fats. You’ll want to go especially hard on the fruits and veggies! These are going to fill you up and fuel you without causing you to feel sluggish and tired throughout the day.
You can also make the effort to incorporate superfoods – think walnuts, brazil nuts, chia seeds, dates. These will not only have a long-term impact on your health, but they’ll give you the all-day energy you’re looking for now. If eating your veggies and superfoods is a challenge, consider drinking them. Cymbiotika also makes a super-greens supplement that you can just mix into your water once a day to give your body the nutrient boost it needs.
Multivitamins
On the topic of healthy eating, it’s important to keep in mind that regardless of how well we eat, there is a good chance we’re not getting all the vitamins and nutrients our bodies need, even with adequate sleep. There’s a long explanation for why this is, but the short version is that the soil used to grow our food is highly deficient in the minerals that belong in it. Pair this with the time it takes for food to travel from farms to grocery stores and grocery stores to our homes and you’re looking at food that is not only nutrient deficient, but declining in nutrients with each passing day. This is why supplementation is so important. A daily multivitamin (or individual supplement depending on your unique needs) can help to bridge the gap between what our bodies need and what our food can give us. I, personally, have been using Ritual for years and loving them! They use clean, traceable ingredients and are specially formulated to include more of what people are most commonly deficient in. I swear by this multivitamin when it comes to keeping my energy levels up.
In addition to my multivitamin, I also take Cymbiotika’s Vitamin C and Vitamin D daily. I know I’ve mentioned this brand a lot in this post, but I truly believe that this brand has made a difference in my ability to be productive and feel energized on minimal sleep. The reason I take these two supplements in particular is because Vitamin C is burned when we are under stress and Vitamin D is crucial for immune function and something I (and most people) have always been low in. The combination of these two supplements has helped me to feel more energized, alert, and strong. Like the super-greens supplement, these are liposomal and can be mixed into your water. They also taste really good!
A Healthy Gut
Believe it or not, a healthy gut is crucial for keeping energy levels high. Poor gut-health can result in either slowed digestion or overactive digestion, both of which can result in fatigue, low mood, and brain fog. My recommendation is to remove gut irritants from your diet and add foods that support good digestion and gut-health. Without a healthy gut and good digestion, the rest of these tips can only provide minimal improvement at best.
So, to recap: stay hydrated, get daily low-impact and restorative exercise, follow steps to improve sleep quality, eat well, take your vitamins, and get your gut health in check. If you’re interested in learning more about the supplements I swear by, you can learn more about Ritual here and more about Cymbiotika here. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe below to have my latest wellness advice and tangible tips delivered straight to your inbox!
Until next time…
-Nicole