EXPRESS BUT NATURAL CURES:
- For a quick pick-me-up, put two drops of peppermint oil on a tissue or handkerchief, hold it to your nose, and breathe deeply. If you have more time, try adding two drops of the oil to bathwater along with four drops of rosemary oil for an invigorating soak.
- Lie on your back and use pillows to prop your feet at a level higher than your head or, better yet, lie on an adjustable exercise bench or other surface that slants. In India, yogis fight fatigue through such practices by encouraging blood flow to the brain, which is thought to boost alertness.
EATING BEHAVIOUR
- Eat a good breakfast along with several small meals and healthy snacks throughout the day. That’s better than eating two or three large meals. Try to limit the size of your meals to 300 calories. This will keep your blood sugar levels steady and help prevent your energy from plunging.
- Go easy on foods high in refined carbohydrates—that is, lots of white sugar or white flour. These foods make your blood sugar rise rapidly, then crash quickly. French bread, spaghetti, and cake are not your best choices. You’ll end up feeling weak and tired.
- Eat more high-fibre foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain cereals, whole-wheat bread, and vegetables. These help stabilize blood sugar.
- Cut down on your intake of fatty foods. To improve the function of your adrenal glands—which influence the way you metabolize nutrients—you should have no more than 10 percent saturated fat in your diet.
- Cut an unpeeled potato into slices and let the pieces soak in water overnight. In the morning, drink the juice for a natural tonic brimming with potassium. Your body needs this mineral for transmitting nerve impulses and making muscles move, along with other vital functions, and some natural healers say deficiencies are common in people with fatigue.
- Eating spinach once a day is an old-time remedy for relieving fatigue, and we all know what it did for Popeye. You can’t go wrong. Spinach contains potassium as well as many B vitamins, all of which are important to energy metabolism
- Sip water all day long, at least eight glasses. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty, because your “thirst alarm” isn’t always accurate. Even a little dehydration can make you fatigued.
- Keep caffeinated drinks to a minimum. The caffeine in coffee and some sodas can give you a short-term burst of energy, but following that “rush,” there’s typically a “crash.”
- Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol depresses your central nervous system. It also reduces your blood sugar level.