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From morning drinks to bedtime sounds – and don’t forget a mid-afternoon boogie – experts share tips to help you boost your energy levels
“A side bend stretches the intercostal muscles between the ribs, making more space for inhalation,” according to the psychologist Suzy Reading, author of Self-Care for Winter, “and when we breathe better we feel more lively. Either seated or standing, breathe in and stretch one arm up overhead, forming a banana shape for your side body. Breathe out to lower your arm back down and come back to centre. Repeat five times on each arm.”
“It’s called an ‘alarm’ because it scares the bejesus out of you,” says sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley. Snoozing means you “start the day increasing your heart rate and stress hormones. It’s far better to set your alarm for the last moment and get straight up, getting consolidated sleep, rather than sleep in six five-minute bursts.”
“A trial found that two 250ml glasses of water in the morning boosts energy and mood, and helps you to think better,” says Dr Emily Leeming, microbiome scientist, dietitian and the author of Genius Gut. “Your brain is particularly sensitive to changes in levels of hydration, even as little as a 2% drop, as it’s made of 75% water.”
“Drinking coffee 30–60 minutes after waking up gives your body a chance to naturally boost its cortisol levels,” says Dr Amy Shah, the author of I’m So Effing Tired. “This way, you can get the most out of the caffeine without messing with your body’s natural rhythm, helping you feel more energised and focused.”
“The circadian clock is of central importance to sleep and wake cycles, including the circuits in the brain that impact wakefulness and arousal,” says David Bechtold, professor of physiology at the University of Manchester’s Centre for Biological Timing. “Finding decent light exposure outside – despite the grey weather – is key.” Think it’s too gloomy to make a difference? Not so, as “both light intensity and light spectrum – the ‘colours’ of light that change across the day – are important”, and morning is prime time.
“It depends on the light intensity but it’s safe to say a 30-minute walk should do it,” adds Russell Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford University.
If you can’t get outside, Prof Foster recommends a light therapy lamp. “5,000 lux for 30 minutes in the morning sets our body clock so that the ‘internal’ day is aligned with the ‘real’ day. Without this daily synchronisation, biological systems drift apart. It’s a bit like an orchestra where all the musicians play at a slightly different time. Light acts as the conductor to bring everything into harmonious alignment, which also increases our alertness and energy levels.”
Mental fatigue (described by Dr Shaun Phillips, senior lecturer in sport and exercise physiology at the University of Edinburgh, as “difficulty concentrating, reduced motivation to complete tasks, and a general sluggish or foggy sensation”) can be brought on by incessant scrolling. “Research suggests that just 90 minutes a day (much less than the worldwide daily average) can have a negative impact.” Set some limits!
Just 9% of UK adults meet the recommended fibre intake, which matters, says Leeming. “The gut microbiome needs to be kept healthy, as it’s responsible for extracting about 10-15% of the energy from the food we eat,” she explains.
“Your gut bacteria break down fibre that the body can’t digest on its own, making molecule metabolites that travel across your body, supporting most of your body’s functions that affect your energy levels, like your blood sugar control and your metabolism. They also make short-chain fatty acids that provide energy for your body and the cells lining the gut.”
Eat beans, lentils, whole grains, leafy greens, berries, nuts and seeds. Fibre also “acts like an obstacle course for sugar, slowing its absorption into your bloodstream for longer-lasting energy”.
“If you have difficulty getting up in the morning, that’s the time to do high-intensity cardiovascular exercise,” says personal trainer Dalton Wong. “A high-intensity class where our cortisol gets ramped up can give us energy – like a cup of coffee.”
The opposite is true for strength and conditioning, which done first thing “could be fatiguing, so do it in the afternoon when you’re properly fed and hydrated. That little bit of a cortisol will give you a little more energy though the evening.”
“Music can influence our energy in two ways,” says Leigh Martin Riby, professor of cognitive neuroscience at Northumbria University. First, it “can release chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which make us feel happier and more motivated. It’s particularly powerful when the music feels personal. For example, a song that reminds you of a great holiday can instantly boost your energy and motivate you.”
Secondly, a fast tempo or strong rhythm “synchronises with neural activity, effectively shifting brainwave frequencies – faster tempos may promote beta waves linked to heightened alertness and energy”.
Riby adds that “these two effects often happen simultaneously, so a single song can lift your mood and give you a physical boost”.
A 2022 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (the gold standard of research) found that inhaling a blend of thyme, orange, clove bud and frankincense substantially improved energy levels among female Covid-19 patients.
Dr Mark Moss, head of psychology at Northumbria University, explains how: “If you believe something will help, in many cases it has been shown to do so.” Then, there’s the “likeability of a fragrance”, which “has been shown to impact on behaviour, with people doing better at tasks when exposed to an aroma they like”. Each aroma is made up of different volatile compounds “that stimulate different receptors that activate the olfactory bulb”. As the olfactory bulb communicates with various parts of the brain, this “may increase arousal, stimulate memory recall and affect mood”.
Finally, when we inhale aromas, volatile compounds are drawn into our lungs, absorbed into the bloodstream and “can cross the blood brain barrier, where they act on brain cells”, as in this example, by increasing energy.
Wake in the middle of the night for a pee and can’t get back to sleep? “You can pee in a minute and a half, so you’re awake for the next hour and a half because your mind is racing,” says Stanley. “Try thought blocking – subtracting seven from a thousand – then from 993, 986 and so on –or go through the alphabet naming an animal starting with each letter.”
Exercise is great for energy, but “be fluid with your schedule”, says Wong. “If you’ve had a crazy work deadline, had planned to go to the gym today but you’re already dreading it, go tomorrow – or on the weekend.” Also, “If you feel good exercising three times a week, keep it at three times a week – don’t push it or you’ll burn yourself out.”
“To achieve peak alertness and increased energy you need a room illuminated with light levels of around 1000 lux,” says Foster. “Use a lux meter app on your phone to make sure you are getting enough light.”
Phillips, whose research addresses fatigue and human performance, says: “We’re discovering that activity lasting as little as five minutes may benefit our perceptions of energy and fatigue. So if you’re feeling sluggish, do the opposite of what you feel – be active in any way you like – but do it for at least five minutes.”
“Sometimes we think we need rest when we need to move,” says Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a sleep expert, physiologist and the author of Fast Asleep Wide Awake. “I recommend five to 10 minutes of chi kung shaking.
Stand grounded with your feet hip width apart, a slight bend in the knees, your upper body loose and relaxed. Start shaking by generating the movement from the knees, keeping the feet rooted in the same position. Allow the movement to loosen up the jaw, neck, shoulders and back. Breathe deeply throughout.”
When you’re sinking into your desk chair, “sit up straight, put one hand on your chest, one on your belly and focus on breathing”, says Wong. “It’s a great way of increasing oxygen to your body, which makes you more productive.”
“Berries are particularly high in polyphenols, antioxidants that give you a cognitive boost,” says Leeming. “Some can cross into the brain and target the hippocampus, the area of your brain involved in learning and memory.”
A study showed that a mixed berry smoothie, with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, kept participants alert six hours later, combatting the afternoon slump.
You may not fancy it, but “after a 20-ish minute DIY Hiit (high-intensity interval training] workout you should feel revitalised, and endorphins will enhance your energy output for the day”, says personal trainer Ty Paul.
He recommends compound movements, which use multiple muscle groups at once, like squats and press ups – do a circuit of eight moves, performed for 30 seconds, with 10-second rests between, four times.
When you’re feeling pulled in a million directions, Reading recommends you “make two fists and press the base of your thumbs, by which I mean the area between the second knuckle and the inner wrist (the first knuckle being beneath the thumbnail), into your forehead for five spacious breaths.
“I use the word ‘spacious’ because the words ‘full’ or ‘deep’ encourage over breathing. It needn’t be a huge, deep breath, but an expansive and relaxed one. Feel how this relaxes your eyes, releases your jaw and slows your rate of breathing down, just like hitting your own reboot button.”
“When your eyes are closing, you can’t focus, or your neck muscles start to nod, then nap,” urges Stanley. “Caffeine takes 30 minutes to work and its benefits only last for 30 minutes, whereas a 20-minute nap will boost mental performance by 15% to 20% for three to four hours.” Taking 20 minutes “prevents you going into deep sleep, where you wake up feeling like you’ve been run over by a bus. Do it in your natural post-lunch dip, somewhere between 1pm and 4pm.”
“About 10% of girls and women will have an iron deficiency at some point in their life, and the commonest symptom is lack of energy,” says Dr Parag Jasani, a consultant haematolgist at the Royal Free Hospital in London. “If a patient is becoming anaemic, they may also have shortness of breath, palpitations, headaches, skin and nail changes; they may look pale and suffer hair loss.” If so, ask your GP for a blood test; it can detect deficiencies in vitamin B12 and folic acid too, which also cause tiredness.
Research shows that chronic stress can deplete vitality, so Leeming recommends box breathing, where you breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for four, breathe out slowly and steadily through your mouth for four, hold your breath again for four – and repeat. This builds up carbon dioxide in the blood, which calms down and regulates the autonomic nervous system, acting on the vagus nerve, which will improve your mood.
Overwhelmed? “Tenderly cradle your chin in your hands and give yourself an opportunity to tweak plans or expectations,” says Reading. “Who can lend a hand? What corners can you cut? What can get dropped? Give yourself permission to be just one human being.”
“If you feel that 3pm dip, get an endorphin rush by putting your favourite song on Spotify and dancing for three minutes like a crazy person,” suggests Wong.
To avoid an afternoon slump, PT and sports dietitian Kerri Major suggests adjusting how you fuel yourself: “Often, people’s meals and snacks earlier in the day are lighter, or they skip breakfast altogether, but as we’re usually more active during the day, it makes more sense to have most of your fuel during the day, too.”
Physiotherapist Louise Nicholettos says it’s her “favourite stretch for tired bodies, involving a lengthening and decompression of the spine, alongside physical pressure of the knees against the chest.”
Get on your hands and knees and spread your knees wide, big toes touching, and then “take your tailbone towards your heels, so that your spine lengthens/rounds, as much as possible. Breathe in and out through your nose, using long, slow, quiet breaths, and stay in the position for at least one minute,” Nicholettos says.
According to Shah: “Chewing gum can increase focus because it increases blood flow to the brain.”
To avoid burnout, we need “sources of meaning, pleasure and connection in other areas of our lives”, says Anna Schaffner, the author of Exhausted: An A to Z for the Weary.
“Hobbies are activities free from the need to perform, and achieve. They should simply make us feel good.” If you don’t know where to begin, ask yourself: “What makes you feel alive? What did you love doing when you were young? What activities put you in a flow state, where you forget about time, space and other people?”
“The ex-CEO of Netflix said his biggest competition wasn’t Disney+ or Sky but sleep,” says Stanley. “So he deliberately shortened the time between episodes from 15 seconds to fewer than seven. We all have a sleep gate – the ideal time for us to go to sleep. Miss it and it may be harder to get to sleep, you may wake in the middle of the night, or you may wake up earlier. Decide when you need to go to bed – and go.”
If you’re kept awake by noise, you’re in good company – Stanley is too. “Noise only annoys you if it’s meaningful. The idea with pink and white noise is they’re a veiling source, giving your brain something to concentrate on which has no meaning,” he says.
“You’ll fall asleep to the piece of music you know best, that you’ve listened to a thousand times, because you won’t actively tune into it – regardless of the genre.” Even Metallica could be your lullaby.
Banana bends and a well-timed coffee: 31 easy ways to jump-start your energy levels in the new year
