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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 15 percent of women and 10 percent of men in the United States regularly feel tired or exhausted. AARP Membership. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.

Join Now. If your doctor has ruled out anything serious for your energy slumps, such as a health condition or a medication side effect that could be making you tired, give these eight proven energy boosters a try:.

Instead of reaching for a candy bar or latte to fend off fatigue, try a balanced snack. The best snack, Blatner says, is a combo: a piece of fruit or carrot sticks or other produce plus protein, such as a handful of nuts, Greek yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese, hard-boiled egg or roasted edamame.

The body uses fruits and vegetables for immediate energy, while the protein provides longer-lasting, steady energy to keep you invigorated until your next meal. Can coffee be a good pick-me-up? Blatner recommends a cup of matcha green tea instead — it has a third of the caffeine, reducing the jitters.

Dehydration is one surprising reason you may be lacking pep. It slows circulation and makes your heart work harder to pump oxygen to the brain and the rest of the body, causing sluggishness and a lack of focus.

The average woman should consume approximately 2. Men should get about 3. Milk, juice, herbal teas, and decaffeinated coffee and tea can also help raise your water quotient. University of Georgia researchers found that sedentary people who complained of fatigue were able to increase their energy levels by 20 percent and decrease their fatigue by 65 percent by engaging in regular, low-intensity exercise like aerobic workouts.

Cycling and resistance training also do the trick. Check out our Staying Fit page for a series of minute workouts. Study author Patrick J. Need a quick power surge?

Privacy Policy. If you feel yourself nodding off after lunch, go ahead and put your head down. A midday snooze can be an excellent pick-me-up, according to Conroy. The key is to keep it brief, no more than 20 to 30 minutes.

Sleeping an hour or longer during the day could have the opposite effect. Save the deep sleep for nighttime. Target Optical. Dynamic stretching is especially good at getting the job done, Morrow says. Dynamic stretches are movement-based and take your joints through their full range of motion, improving circulation throughout your body.

These stretches should get your blood — and energy — flowing. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

The sights and sounds of the natural world can help to restore your get-up-and-go , research shows. People got a second wind when they went outdoors to either rest or exercise in view of green space, trees and a lake. Breitenbecher, a professor of psychological science at Northern Kentucky University.

Erratic rises and drops in blood sugar can leave you feeling tired and drained. Instead, just focus on eating less sugar and fewer refined grains — like white bread and rolls, flour tortillas, etc.

Eating regular, balanced meals also stabilizes blood sugar, Blatner says. And avoid skipping meals. Establishing a regular sleep schedule is one of the most important ways to stave off lethargy later, Conroy says.

Rising at the same time every day even on weekends is key to the process. And that really helps to regulate all the systems in your body and your energy levels, increasing alertness. So open the curtains and let the sun shine in!

Beth Howard is a North Carolina—based health and lifestyle writer. She has written for dozens of publications, including U. Discover AARP Members Only Access. Already a Member? What Is the MIND Diet? See All. AARP Rewards.

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Try applying pressure to the "kiss point," or GV in acupressure:. Vitamin D, which comes from sunlight, is an essential vitamin that supports strong bones. Low vitamin D levels can cause fatigue and weakness. Increasing your vitamin D intake helps reduce muscle fatigue and keeps your muscle cells healthy.

You can increase your vitamin D intake by:. Talk to a healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting a supplement if you suspect you have a vitamin D deficiency. The Food and Drug Administration minimally regulates supplements. The effects of supplements vary from person to person and depend on many variables, including type, dosage, frequency of use, and interactions with current medications.

Stress can affect your health in many ways. For example, long-term stress may cause difficulty sleeping and contribute to fatigue. You are also more likely to start work fatigued and become more tired during the day if you are stressed.

Relieving that stress can ease your fatigue and give you more energy. Here are a few ways you can reduce stress:. Reach out to a healthcare provider if you have severe stress symptoms for more than two weeks.

They can help you figure out how to cope with stress. Vitamin B12 helps keep your blood and nerve cells healthy. Most adults need 2.

A B12 deficiency can cause fatigue and weakness. You can try eating more Brich foods to boost energy. Sources include:. People who eat a vegetarian or vegan diet might have trouble getting enough B Animal foods make up the most natural sources of the vitamin.

Talk to a healthcare provider if you suspect you may be low on B They might recommend a supplement to help meet your intake goal.

Research has shown that naps of any length help improve cognitive function and how alert you feel. Still, experts only advise long naps i. Napping for long periods makes it hard to fall asleep at night. Here are some tips for napping:.

Some evidence suggests that musical activity helps boost energy levels. A study published in found that participants who actively made music through singing, keyboard playing, or rhythm tapping felt more energetic than others. In contrast, the researchers noted that listening to music or a story might decrease your energy.

The next time you listen to a song, try singing along to feel more awake. Your body responds to lightness and darkness as signals to be awake and to fall asleep. Your circadian rhythm —the physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a hour cycle—takes those light and dark signals so that your body knows when to rest and when to be awake.

Here are a few ways you can use sunlight to regulate your circadian rhythm:. Aromatherapy involves applying essential oils, such as those from flowers, herbs, or trees, to your skin or inhaling them. A study published in found that a blend of clove bud, frankincense, orange, and thyme helped decrease fatigue in women with post-acute COVID, or long COVID.

Other essential oils that you might try using include:. There are many other ways to get energy without resorting to a cup of coffee if you are trying to cut back on your caffeine intake. However you decide to get more energy, there are plenty of alternatives to that cup of coffee.

For example, eat regularly throughout the day with lean proteins and fiber-rich carbohydrates since you get energy from food. You can also substitute caffeine with water to avoid dehydration and the fatigue that comes with it.

Try relieving stress with exercise or meditation. Chang AM, Aeschbach D, Duffy JF, et al. Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Pham HT, Chuang HL, Kuo CP, et al. Electronic device use before bedtime and sleep quality among university students. Healthcare Basel. Ginns P, Kim T, Zervos E. Chewing gum while studying: Effects on alertness and test performance.

Appl Cogn Psychol. Zhang N, Du SM, Zhang JF, et al. Effects of dehydration and rehydration on cognitive performance and mood among male college students in Cangzhou, China: A self-controlled trial.

Int J Environ Res Public Health. Water in diet. de Rijk MG, van Eekelen APJ, Kaldenberg E, et al. The association between eating frequency with alertness and gastrointestinal complaints in nurses during the night shift.

J Sleep Res. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Eating to boost energy. Campanelli S, Tort ABL, Lobão-Soares B. Pranayamas and their neurophysiological effects. Int J Yoga. Malhotra V, Javed D, Wakode S, et al. Study of immediate neurological and autonomic changes during kapalbhati pranayama in yoga practitioners.

J Family Med Prim Care. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Your guide to healthy sleep. Mendelsohn AI. Creatures of habit: The neuroscience of habit and purposeful behavior. Biol Psychiatry. NIH News in Health. Good sleep for good health. Bergouignan A, Legget KT, De Jong N, et al.

Effect of frequent interruptions of prolonged sitting on self-perceived levels of energy, mood, food cravings and cognitive function. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Get active. Lim JH, Kim H, Jeon C, et al. The effects on mental fatigue and the cognitive function of mechanical massage and binaural beats brain massage provided by massage chairs.

Complement Ther Clin Pract. Yang J, Do A, Mallory MJ, et al. Acupressure: An effective and feasible alternative treatment for anxiety during the COVID pandemic. Glob Adv Health Med. Vitamin D. Sizar O, Khare S, Goyal A, et al. Vitamin D deficiency. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; Dzik KP, Kaczor JJ.

Mechanisms of vitamin D on skeletal muscle function: Oxidative stress, energy metabolism and anabolic state. Eur J Appl Physiol.

It supports energy production and keeps blood cells happy and healthy. Sipping on an herbal tea can provide an all-natural temporary boost in energy levels without the risk of scary stimulants or processed ingredients. Two wonderful options are green tea and rooibos tea.

Green tea has many benefits for your body, such as anti-aging and free radical-fighting properties. Rooibos tea is another type of tea that helps fight fatigue. Commonly used in aromatherapy, animal studies have found that this refreshing essential oil may have a stimulating effect on the brain and is even powerful enough to help treat tension headaches.

Try dabbing a few drops on your wrists when you find your energy lagging, add some to your shower to get an early morning energy boost, or add several drops to a steam diffuser to breathe in the benefits throughout the day.

Does a tough workout wipe you out? Take solace in the fact that incorporating regular exercise into your routine will actually boost energy levels and is one of the best methods for how to increase energy and motivation while also enhancing overall health.

Some of the most common causes of decreased energy include the use of certain medications, thyroid issues , depression and anemia. Chronic fatigue may also be a symptom of more serious conditions as well, such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes or kidney problems.

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Axe on Facebook 2. Axe on Instagram K Followers. Axe on Youtube 2. Axe on Pinterest K Followers. Here are a few tried-and-true methods to boost your energy without coffee, whether you're about to work out or just facing an afternoon slump at work. But how slow is slow? Being exposed to this light within the first one or two hours of waking can support your circadian rhythm, he adds, which helps regulate your sleep system and provides more energy overall.

A not-so-surprising fact: Negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, sadness, and loneliness are all under-recognized drains of physical energy, reports the Harvard Business Review. To minimize fatigue—and very likely feel more energized immediately—she suggests indulging in a venting sesh.

Want to be more private about your feelings? Journaling can help, too, reports the University of Rochester Medical Center. Doing so can help improve alertness and performance while lowering your stress levels, says Conor Heneghan, director of research and algorithms at Fitbit whose team analyzes the sleep data logged by more than nine billion users.

The timing of your nap matters, too. It may sound like the most unpleasant thing to do when you first wake up, but Nikola Djordjevic , MD, says showering in cold water is an easy way to get more energy quickly.

Those chilly temps can even strengthen your immune system in the long run, he adds. Take a whiff of stimulating oils like eucalyptus, peppermint, and cinnamon to help relieve fatigue and potentially boost brain function, alertness, and memory, she continues.

Crunchy foods are ideal afternoon snacks for helping you stay more alert, says Michele Sidorenkov , registered dietitian nutritionist. Another smart idea: incorporating citrus. Fun fact: The average child laughs times a day, according to Psychology Today. A measly four. And another study found that a workout like that can increase energy by 20 percent.

Sure, it may not be a super direct connection, but honestly—are you going to say no to a good chuckle? This particular breathing style focuses on a forceful exhale and passive inhale, and its rapid, rhythmic practice helps boost blood flow and circulation for energy when you need it most, says Naz Beheshti , executive wellness coach and CEO of Prananaz.

To try it, start in a comfortable upright seated position, resting your hands on your lower belly or knees, palms facing down. Repeat 10 times. Start slow and gradually increase the pace and number of cycles. Side note: Stop if you feel dizzy or faint, and refrain if you're pregnant or have your period.

It's also best to talk with a doctor before doing this if you have preexisting medical conditions, like hypertension or heart problems.

Stepping into the elevator is easier, yes, but research shows that 10 minutes of stair walking can be more effective in waking you up than 50 mg of caffeine the equivalent of about 1. More research suggests that an afternoon walk can wake you up, too. Instead of that afternoon coffee, take the stairs out of the office, walk around the block, and climb back up for a quickie energy boost.

Taking the time to stretch increases blood circulation and promotes the release of hormones and neurotransmitters that provide an energy boost, says Thanu Jey, chiropractor and clinic director at Yorkville Sports Medicine Clinic in Toronto. He suggests standing and reaching for your toes, a quad stretch , or a figure 4 stretch , as all of these target bigger muscle groups and help get your blood moving.