Image by Natalye Ruiz
In this Article:
- Natural remedies for fatigue to boost your energy
- Tips on nutrition, supplements, and herbs for energy
- Mind-body practices and lifestyle changes to combat fatigue
Tired of Being Tired? Try These Natural Remedies
by Brigitte Mars.
When you make your bed in the morning, do you feel like getting back into it? When you don’t have enough energy, daily life becomes more difficult and can leave you feeling cranky and overwhelmed.
Before you try natural remedies, it’s important to rule out any medical reasons for fatigue. Feeling tired can be a sign that you have a condition like hypothyroidism, chronic Lyme disease, hypoglycemia, anemia, a nutritional deficiency, or allergies. Talk to your health care practitioner about what tests you might need to determine the cause of your fatigue and how to treat it.
Once you’ve eliminated medical reasons for fatigue, it’s time to explore natural remedies. When you need power in your house, for a lamp, TV, or computer, you plug a socket into an outlet. It’s the same with the natural practices outlined here to relieve fatigue: We can plug into them to boost our energy.
The first step is deciding which habits you want to adopt, whether it’s using herbs, supplements, aromatherapy, exercise, or yoga. The next step is to practice them daily so energy is there when you need it.
Nutritional Therapy
To begin, check in with your nutrition to make sure you are getting adequate calories and good-quality proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as sufficient vitamins and minerals. Try to make lunch the main meal of the day, as more energy is required midday than in the evening.
Foods for sustained energy include seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, all soaked), nuts that are high in potassium (especially almonds), beans (a rich source of glucose, the body’s preferred food), and fresh raw vegetables and fruit. Chia seeds provide stamina too, and they make an energizing breakfast. Avoid overeating as it just makes your body work harder. Both being undernourished and carrying around extra pounds can cause fatigue so food is an important ingredient to energy wellness!
Skip Eating This!
Eating something you are sensitive or allergic to can make you feel foggy and groggy. Keeping a food journal can help you pinpoint which foods you’re allergic to or even just which ones make you feel tired. Dairy products, wheat, gluten, yeast, citrus, and corn are common culprits. You’ll be amazed by how much better you feel after eliminating any offending foods.
Additionally, if you can, avoid consuming microwaved food. It’s not conducive to building the life energy and vitality you need.
Also avoid sugar and caffeine. While they may give you a quick high, you’ll soon crash. That’s because when insulin is produced to handle the sugar infusion, your blood sugar drops, leaving you feeling jittery and even more tired. Sugar and caffeine also deplete the body of needed nutrients for energy, such as vitamin B12 and calcium.
Go Green!
Green foods such as collards, dandelion greens, kale, spinach, violets, and dandelion and supergreens like blue-green algae, spirulina, chlorella, barley grass, and wheatgrass are loaded with nutrients such as beta-carotene, iron, protein, and chlorophyll, the wonderful, oxygen-transporting lifeblood of plants. Mineral-rich sea vegetables such as dulse, kelp, and wakame are excellent foods for those whose fatigue is caused by or made worse by low thyroid function.
The Buzz on Bee Pollen
Bee pollen can be added to smoothies as an energy booster. If you have pollen allergies, however, start with tiny amounts (one-grain-a-day increments) and increase over a long period of time to 1 teaspoon daily, unless you find that bee pollen is not your ally.
Dark Chocolate
If you want a treat, eat dark chocolate. The theobromine in chocolate is a mild stimulant. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine (PEA), which is a feel-good mood elevator. Choose high-quality, imported dark chocolate with 70 percent or more cacao content. It has less sugar, and its rich flavor will satisfy you with less. Aim for 1 ounce of dark chocolate a few times a week.
Energizing Drinks
Sipping small amounts of chilled water every thirty minutes sends a signal to your brain to increase alertness and energy. That’s because drinking cold water stimulates an adrenaline release by activating the sympathetic nervous system, the same system that activates the fight-or-flight reaction.
If you’ve been sitting for too long, your body switches to the parasympathetic nervous system mode, which makes you calm but also can make you feel tired. Cold water will switch you back into the sympathetic side of the nervous system and wake you up.
Rehydration will increase your energy quotient too. If you don’t have access to cold water in your workplace, keep cold water in the fridge at home and bring it to work in an insulated cup so you can “chill” all day long! Splashing your face with cold water will also increase energy because it, too, stimulates the release of adrenaline.
In addition to water, add green tea to your routine. It does contain some caffeine, but more importantly, it contains L-theanine, an amino acid that has a stress-reducing effect on your brain. It helps calm you down while leaving your mind clear, sharp, and alert.
Supplements for Well-Being
A vitamin B-complex supplement impacts brain function and energy levels and can help cover all the bases to ensure that no deficiencies are contributing to low energy.
Healing Herbs
The following herbs have traditionally been used to increase stamina. See if they work for you!
Ashwagandha: Relieves lethargy and fatigue.
Dandelion root: Increases vitality.
Ginkgo: Helps the brain better utilize oxygen, improves mental alertness, and improves peripheral circulation.
Ginseng: Relieves exhaustion, helps the body deal with stress, nourishes the adrenal glands, and reduces fatigue.
Licorice root: Is naturally sweet, helps normalize blood sugar levels, and nourishes exhausted adrenal glands.
Schizandra berry: Improves endurance, fatigue, and insomnia.
Yerba maté: Rich in minerals, as well as some caffeine. (This one has helped Brigitte write so many books!)
Flower Essences
Flower essences are a gentle way to put more sparkle in your step.
Hornbeam flower: For those who feel overwhelmed by life.
Olive: Helps combat fatigue when you feel you have reached the end of your rope, daily activities seem difficult, and you wish only to sleep.
Aromatherapy
Certain essential oils can work to improve both physical and psychological energy levels. They include basil, clary sage, geranium, lavender, lemon, orange, and rosemary.
Peppermint can help wake you up too. According to a study in the North American Journal of Psychology, drivers who were exposed to the scent of peppermint were more alert and had more energy. Consider chewing strong peppermint gum or enjoying peppermint mints during the day to decrease fatigue and increase alertness. Eucalyptus and spearmint have similar qualities to peppermint.
For the other essential oils, place a few drops on a tissue and inhale deeply, or simply take ten deep inhalations from the bottle. Washing your face with cold water and a drop of Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap can be very vivifying.
Mind-Body Therapies and Practices
From quick fixes to long-term and daily strategies here are a ways to enhance energy and combat fatigue in your body and mind.
Acupressure
A good do-it-yourself practice to boost energy is acupressure on your outer ear. When you apply pressure to acupressure points all along the outer ear, it helps clear your head, gets rid of dull pain above the neck, and charges up your entire energy system. Just use your thumb and first finger to squeeze up and down the entire outer ear two or three times, giving it a good, brisk rubbing. This simple acupressure technique stimulates the energy in your whole body and gets it moving.
Deep Breathing
If your breathing is shallow, your brain may miss out on the recharging properties of oxygen—one of life’s free remedies! Oxygen nourishes every cell and system in the body. Breathing more fully and deeply helps you be more aware, more intuitive, calmer, more alert, and more integrated in body, mind, and spirit. It massages the internal organs so that circulation flows freely delivering blood and oxygen to all parts of the body.
Inhale through your nose to filter out particulates and more directly stimulate the brain.
Singing is a great way to increase respiratory capacity. Also pay attention to your posture: Good posture improves lung capacity.
Exercise
Exercise is important, even when you feel tired. Exercises that are invigorating yet not overtaxing, such as brisk walking, are a good place to start. Research at California State University showed that the more steps you take, the more energy you’ll have. If you’ve been sitting, quickly assess how much energy you have at the moment. Then get up and take a brisk walk, even just a short one. You’ll notice the difference!
Stretching is an important part of any exercise program to relieve fatigue. Gentle yoga and stretches for your neck, shoulders, and back, where most of us hold chronic stress and tension, can especially help boost energy. That’s because tight muscles are one way you react to real or perceived danger and trigger the fight-or-flight response. When this response becomes chronic, it wears you out, making you feel tired. When you ease the tension in your neck, shoulders, and back, you’re signaling your body that it’s okay to shut off the fight-or-flight reaction, and as a result, you’ll have more energy.
When you have to sit for any length of time, try twirling a pen or pencil in your fingers, or squeeze a stress ball to release the overall tension in your body. Wiggle your foot or tap your fingers very slowly as you stretch and relax the muscles that are tense.
Practical Tips to Build Energy
* Reduce exposure. Try to reduce your exposure to chemicals such as those found in cleaning products and personal hygiene products. Clean with more natural products, like white vinegar and baking soda.
* Have your water tested for contaminants. If necessary, consider getting a water purifier or using bottled water, preferably bottled in glass.
* Avoid overexertion, overwork, and overly processed food.
* Employ a good massage therapist. Massage relieves stress and improves circulation and lymphatic drainage.
* Have regular times for going to bed and waking up. If you take naps, take them at a regular intervals. Try to establish a rhythm.
* Get good sleep.
* Set goals. Set a few specific goals for each day and write them down the night before.
* Set your schedule. Schedule the most difficult tasks during the time of day when your energy is highest.
* Put some color into your life. Reds, bright pinks, and orange tones, whether worn or used in decor, help perk up your energy. During the day, let the sunshine in!
* Use music to set the tone for your energy level. When you have to accomplish tasks, play upbeat music. Faster beats can help you get motivated for tasks such as cleaning the house. Slower beats calm the spirit and promote relaxation.
* Use water. When showering, end with a brief round of cold water to strengthen the nervous system. Several times a day, try spraying your face with some cool water that has been lightly scented with peppermint essential oil (20 drops essential oil to 8 ounces water).
* Keep your brain engaged. Use your downtime to read more than watching TV. Or choose media that is consciousness elevating.
* Write it down. If your troubles are wearing you down, getting your problems out of your mind and onto a piece of paper makes you feel lighter. Brainstorm possible solutions. Talk to someone supportive.
* Pray, meditate, and keep those positive affirmations coming. Offer every day for the highest good.
* Take the time to rest deeply. Sometimes what you really need is a nap.
* Take time to do healthy things for yourself every day!
Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted with permission of the publisher,
Healing Arts Press, an imprint of Inner Traditions Intl.
Article Source:
BOOK: Natural Remedies for Mental and Emotional Health
Natural Remedies for Mental and Emotional Health: Holistic Methods and Techniques for a Happy and Healthy Mind
by Brigitte Mars A.H.G.
Mental health and emotional well-being are just as important as physical health. And like physical health, there are many simple ways to improve and support mental wellness with the healing power of herbs and other holistic remedies and practices.
In this comprehensive guide to natural methods to maintain a healthy mind, herbalist Brigitte Mars and natural health expert Chrystle Fiedler explore many common mental health concerns and stress-related issues—such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, anger, insomnia, brain fog, and trauma—and share remedies and practices to address and heal their root causes. The authors also explore holistic practices and treatments for moving through grief, breaking free from addiction, working with ADHD and epilepsy, supporting chronic conditions like bipolar disorder, PTSD, and Parkinson’s disease, and recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke.
Presenting a wealth of holistic self-care therapies for mental well-being, emotional balance, and neurological health, this guide enables each of us to heal the mind and nurture the soul, two essential keys to a happy, joyful life.
For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.
About the Author
Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant with almost fifty years of experience. She teaches herbal medicine at Naropa University and the School of Health Mastery in Iceland and has also taught at Omega Institute, Esalen, Kripalu, and the Mayo Clinic.
A founding member of the American Herbalists Guild, she is the author of many books and DVDs including The Natural First Aid Handbook, The Sexual Herbal, Healing Herbal Teas, and Rawsome!
Visit her website at: BrigitteMars.com
Article Recap:
This article explores natural remedies for fatigue and ways to boost energy naturally. It emphasizes the importance of ruling out medical causes for fatigue before trying natural solutions. Practical lifestyle changes and tips for building energy are provided to help readers combat fatigue and enhance their overall well-being. Key tips include nutritional therapy, avoiding certain foods, incorporating green foods, and using supplements and herbs. The article also covers energizing drinks, aromatherapy, and mind-body practices like acupressure, deep breathing, and exercise.
