A balanced diet, healthy eating, regular exercise, and adequate sleep are the best things you can do to maintain your natural energy level. But, as we know, our fast-paced lives don’t always allow us to do as we should, and occasionally we give up sleeping, eating, or anything else that can undermine the body's healthy functioning.
Fortunately, there are many possibilities in which these deficiencies can be supplemented, such as supplements and vitamins that are designed to improve daily life, all without detracting from overall alertness. In this article you can learn about what foods you should consume so that you don’t feel tired, as well as 8 supplements that will help you increase your energy and keep you healthy.
Coenzyme Q10 is a compound that helps the body naturally produce energy in its cells. Its production tends to decrease with age, so it is advisable to consume a dietary supplement containing this enzyme. CoQ10 helps improve a number of things, such as brain disorders, diabetes, cancer, and even protects cells from oxidative damage. When this enzyme is reduced, the body's cells cannot produce the energy they need to grow and maintain their health, leading to increased fatigue.
Foods in which the enzyme can be found naturally are meat, fish, and nuts. However, the quantities in these foods are not large enough to meet the needs of the body, therefore, taking it in supplement form is recommended. It is very important to consult your doctor about dosage and times.
There isn’t a person who hasn’t heard of vitamin B12, but why is it helpful? Along with other B vitamins, vitamin B12 helps turn the food you eat into energy that the cells in your body can use. In addition, this vitamin protects the body’s nerves and blood cells and thus helps prevent anemia - a lack of blood, leading to weakness and fatigue. vitamin B12 is usually available from foods we consume, such as red meat, fish, animal proteins, and many other products that supply the vitamin.
However, some groups of people, such as vegetarians, adults over 50 and those suffering with celiac disease, may be at risk of a deficiency of this vitamin as their bodies don’t get, or can’t absorb, enough B12 from food. It should be remembered that vitamin B12 plays an important role in energy production in humans. To balance your body's vitamin B level, you need to change your diet and/or take vitamin supplements.
The iron in our bodies plays an important role in the formation of hemoglobin. Without proper iron levels, red blood cells aren’t able to carry oxygen efficiently to the tissues of the body, resulting in anemia, which will cause you to be fatigued and have a lack of energy. Causes of iron deficiency can be due to several reasons: veganism, pregnancy, and blood loss. In these cases, an iron supplement may be necessary to correct the deficiency and avoid complications associated with iron deficiency anemia, including fatigue.
You should know that red blood cells require iron to transport oxygen to the body tissues. If you don’t balance your body’s iron level, the feeling of tiredness will last for a long time. Eating foods such as spinach, beef, liver, beans, turkey and dark chocolate, which are known to have a high iron level, will help you maintain a normal iron level in the body.
The role of creatine in the human body is to maintain a stable level of energy in the cell and to provide available and fast energy when the body requires it. Consuming a supplement containing this compound causes alertness and prevents fatigue and depression.
Creatine is naturally found in red meat, chicken, and fish, and is better absorbed in the human body in combination with high glycemic carbohydrates, such as grape sugar.
That is why many bodybuilders consume creatine-containing supplements to increase muscle mass in a short time. Like most supplements, creatine is safe to use, but increased consumption can cause damage to kidneys and even to the body's ability to produce creatine on its own. Therefore, it is important to know that when consuming creatine as a supplement, it is very important to drink plenty of water, because creatine absorbs the water from the internal organs and may cause abdominal pain and other problems.
The role of citrulline is to produce nitrogen oxide in the body, which expands the blood vessels and allows for increased nutrients while simultaneously delivering oxygen to the body cells that cause a decrease in fatigue and increased energy. Its name comes from the Latin word for watermelon because in watermelon you can find the highest level of citrulline.
Citrulline can also be found in squash, cucumbers, zucchini, and melons. In a study, which examined two groups of participants, one of which was treated with a placebo and the other which consumed citrulline as a dietary supplement, the second group, those who consumed citrulline, exercised 12% longer and exerted 7% more energy than the first group. According to another study, which examined the safety of citrulline intake it was found that one can’t “overdose” on citrulline.
Melatonin is a hormone that aids sleep and is secreted in the body in the dark. When there is over exposure to blue light in the dark, only an insufficient amount of melatonin is excreted, causing chronic insomnia, leading to fatigue and low energy.
Consumption of melatonin in various forms helps regulate fatigue, as has been shown in a study of several people with chronic fatigue syndrome, whose melatonin supply has improved their concentration and reduced fatigue. If you have insomnia and you are looking for a natural solution to sleep before using pills or supplements, try bananas, cherries, oatmeal, tomatoes and pineapples that are full of vitamins that help produce melatonin, so you can sleep peacefully.
Tyrosine is an amino acid produced naturally by the body and is commonly found in high protein foods including chicken, eggs and dairy products. Tyrosine produces chemicals whose function is to send messages to the brain, where lack of production leads to a decrease in concentration and low energy level. A study on the use of tyrosine-containing supplements found that these amino acids helped not only increase alertness and energy but also restored memory in people with sleep disorders.
Caffeine is often consumed because of its stimulating properties that provide the body with quick energy. However, many people try to limit their caffeine intake, which is usually through coffee, tea and chocolate, reducing until ultimately they cut it out of their diet completely, the reason for this is because caffeine can cause people to be jittery, restless, and after the caffeine high there is always an energy crash.
If you consume L-Theanine in combination with caffeine as a supplement, you can avoid these unwanted side effects. In a number of studies, it has been shown that a combination of caffeine and L-Theanine improves memory and reaction time, with a significant decrease in physical and mental fatigue.
In conclusion:
It doesn’t matter how hard we try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, there will always be obstacles in a way that will disturb and cause energetic imbalance. Therefore, in addition to physical activity and self-care, it is worth remembering that there are other options to help you maintain balance.
Please note that before starting treatment or using any of the above-mentioned sections, you should consult a qualified physician who will guide you and determine necessity and dosage.