Tired of Being Tired.

Your mood sinks like a rock, your emotions are all over the place, anxiety is keeping you up at night, you get sick more often and you’ve lost interest in your favourite activities or your favourite sport. Does this sound familiar? These are just a few symptoms related to fatigue.

Fatigue is a signal that it’s time to take some time for yourself and change your lifestyle.

Here are five things you can do every day to regain your energy!

1) Turn off screens

The blue light from screens influences our circadian rhythm (daily biological wake/sleep cycle) and suppresses production of the secretion of the sleep hormone, melatonin, which is only secreted when is dark. Light from screens makes it harder to fall asleep and affects the quality of sleep. An INSPQ study (1), suggests turning off all screens and stopping all cognitive activities one hour before bedtime.

2) Do light physical activities

As we all know, playing sports physical can positively affect your physical and mental well-being, but it can also have negative effects. While overtraining, is often attributed to competitive athletes, anyone pushing their body’s limits without taking the time to rest can experience this phenomenon. When you are tired, a yoga or stretching session is an effective way to exercise your body. If you live near a forest, go for a 30-minute walk, as this outdoor activity lowers your heart rate while, promoting relaxation and peace of mind.

3) Optimize your plate

When we’re constantly tired, we often tend to eat quick meals made with processed ingredients or have food delivered from a restaurant. Low in nutrients and cooked with trans fats that slow down your digestion, these foods make you feel even more tired. You’re stuck in a vicious cycle! Instead, eat light, frequent meals. Fill your plate with protein, good fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts) and fresh vegetables and fruits (red peppers, oranges, kiwis, broccoli). These nutrient-rich foods optimize the immune system and give you pep!

4) Breathe and meditate

Have you noticed that the more stressed you are, the more you hold your breath? However, we should do the opposite. When you breathe deeply, you oxygenate all your organs and get a different perspective on your situation. The best way to do this is through cardiac coherence breathing exercise. It has been shown that the benefits of a six-minute session can last four hours, decreasing cortisol (stress hormone), impacting blood pressure, strengthening the immune system, increasing concentration, and promoting dopamine secretion (the pleasure hormone) and reducing the risk of depression (2). You can find free cardiac coherence apps on your smart device. Plus, you can do it anywhere, at any time!

5) Use adaptogenic plants (adaptogens)

Nature offers us a range of plants to support us during the most demanding periods. Used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, these plants act on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to calm chronic stress. 

A supplement like Adrenergy or Fortex -from Alterra / Herbasante's line of natural products, gives your body the ability to adapt to stress.

For example, one of the ingredients in Adrenergy, rhodiola, which increases physical and mental performance for a period of four to six hours. Helpful for students, athletes and busy people. It also contains ashwagandha, which is well known for its effectiveness as a general tonic and helps reduce anxiety. The supplement Fortex acts as a general tonic and strengthens the immune system. With three ingredients derived from bees. Propolis, rich in nutrients, it acts as an anti-fatigue and increases the immune system’s capacity to cope with pathogens. Also rich in nutrients, pollen increases physical and intellectual performance. Lastly, royal jelly, influences mood, improves memory and stimulates the body as a whole.

(1) https://www.inspq.qc.ca/pdf/publications/2154_temps_ecran_habitudes_vie.pdf

(2) https://www.ulaval.ca/mon-equilibre-ul/exclusivites-mon-equilibre/coherence-cardiaque