6 Ways to Have More Energy (including how to sleep better)
In this article we’ll talk about 6 practical ways to get the most out of the food we eat, so we can have sustained energy all day, and better sleep.
1. Keep Your Blood Sugar Balanced
Just by making changes to how you eat and how you combine your food, you can help your body produce energy over a more sustained period of the day.
Have some fat and protein in every meal
When digesting a meal, the carbohydrate component is the first macronutrient to leave our stomach and enter the intestines, followed by protein, then fat.
Our intestines are where we start to extract energy from food.
So when we eat a meal of mostly carbs, we’ll get that energy quicker, but it won’t last long and we’ll feel hungry sooner.
Conversely, if we have a high-fat meal, we’ll feel fuller for longer, and the energy will be spread out over a longer period of time.
We can use this effect to get longer-lasting energy by having some fat and protein with every meal.
Some examples:
Rather than just having fruit as a snack, have some nuts or yogurt as well.
When having a sandwich, make sure there is a source of protein and fat like tinned fish, cheese, or sliced meat, rather than just salad.
If you’re having toast for breakfast, have avocado, a fried egg, or nut butter rather than jam or vegemite.
Choose low-GI carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are not created equal - some are absorbed more quickly in the body than others. The measure of this is known as glycemic index or GI. Low-GI foods are absorbed slowly and will give you longer-lasting energy. High-GI foods are absorbed more quickly, giving you a quick burst of energy, which can then lead to low blood sugar.
But this also depends on what else you eat them with, because as we learned earlier, protein and fat will slow down the absorption of any carbs if eaten at the same time.
Low-GI carbs are generally the less-refined versions, so, brown rice, whole grain bread, rolled oats instead of quick oats. Pasta and many fruits are low-GI.
Get plenty of fibre
Although it’s found in carbohydrate foods, fibre will also slow down digestion, so including fibre from legumes, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, in your meals can help keep your energy up.
Embrace the snack!
Having smaller meals more often, rather than three large meals a day, helps spread your energy over the day and avoids the 3pm energy crash, or the sleepiness you can get after a large meal.
2. Get Enough Iron
Iron carries oxygen in our blood and muscles, and it’s needed for energy production. Fatigue is one of the main symptoms of a deficiency. Red meat is a good source, but you can also get iron from legumes, tofu, oats, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate. Or use a Lucky Iron Fish to infuse your cooking and drinking water with iron.
Vitamin A and C help with iron absorption. You can get vitamin A from tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots, and vitamin C from citrus, kiwi fruit, and potatoes.
3. Get Enough B Vitamins
The B Vitamins are all needed for energy production. They’re found fairly widely in foods, but foods that are particularly good sources of at least one B vitamin are eggs, legumes, dairy, meat, fish, leafy green vegetables, and sunflower seeds.
B vitamins are water soluble so they’re easily lost in cooking water, and can even be lost just by cutting vegetables. So cut them only when you’re about to cook or eat them, and steaming is a perfect option for cooking.
Vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods such as dairy, eggs and meat so if you don’t eat these you may need a B12 supplement.
4. Drink Plenty of Water
Water is needed for energy creation, for brain, lung, and heart function, and for blood circulation - all things that will make you feel tired if they’re not working properly.
While some sources recommend a specific amount of water every day, it’s more important to monitor your own hydration, and the easiest way to do this is through the colour of your urine - if it’s very pale and clear you’re probably hydrated. Thirst isn’t a good indication of hydration as feeling thirsty is often one of the later signs of dehydration.
5. Look After Your Gut
A healthy gut will get more energy and nutrients (including iron and B12) from the food you eat. It will also facilitate serotonin and melatonin production, which will improve your sleep.
There are lots of simple things you can do for your gut including getting:
plenty of fibre from fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes
antioxidants and vitamins from fruit and vegetables
minerals from nuts, seeds, and green vegetables
probiotics from fermented foods like kefir and sauerkraut
Sleep is also beneficial for gut health.
6. Get Better Sleep
There’s much about sleep we don’t understand yet, but we know it replenishes energy, and it’s also when our body repairs itself, digests, consolidates memories, and more.
Here are some nutrients and food sources that can improve your sleep:
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps regulate your sleep cycle. It’s best sourced from moderate sun exposure if possible - for most people, 5-10 minutes per day on your face, arms, and hands is enough in summer. In winter this may increase to 20 minutes per day, depending on where you live.
If you take a vitamin D supplement, don’t take it at night as it can interfere with melatonin production, and melatonin regulates your sleep cycles.
Iron is needed for normal sleep, and we talked about food sources at #2.
Selenium
There is evidence that selenium can improve your ability to fall asleep. You only need 3-4 Brazil nuts each day to get plenty of selenium, and it’s also found in sunflower seeds.
Magnesium
Magnesium is important for brain health, it’s relaxing, and it boosts production of GABA - a calming neurotransmitter - so it’s good for sleep. It’s found in pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds, tofu, avocado, lentils, chickpeas, bananas, black rice, kale, and spinach.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Studies show a link between omega-3 fatty acids and sleep quality. They’re found in oily fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, dark green leafy vegetables, and flaxseed oil.
Tryptophan
Our body needs tryptophan to make serotonin, from which it makes melatonin. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid - meaning we have to get it from food because our body can’t make it. It’s found in poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, dairy, oats, beans, and lentils.
Apigenin
Chamomile and passionflower teas are popular bedtime drinks because they contain this relaxing antioxidant.
Other tips for better sleep
Temperature
Our core temperature needs to lower slightly in order to fall asleep, so it can help to keep your bedroom cool. Having a warm shower or bath before bed can help too, because your body then works to cool itself down.
Routine
Having a relaxing bedtime routine, and going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day can improve your quality of sleep.
Blue light
Avoid blue light from screens for a few hours before trying to sleep. Blue light tells your brain it’s daytime, and avoiding it allows the receptors in your eyes to communicate with your brain to release melatonin.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol before sleep
Throughout the day, using energy makes a substance called adenosine build up in your brain, and eventually this makes you tired and need to sleep. Caffeine doesn’t give you energy - it blocks the adenosine receptors in your brain so you don’t feel tired. It doesn’t just make it harder to fall asleep, it affects the quality of your sleep as well. Although it affects everyone differently, caffeine can have an effect for up to 5 hours, so it’s best to avoid it after mid-afternoon.
Alcohol has sedative effects but has been shown to reduce sleep quality, even in moderate amounts (less than 1 drink for women). It can disrupt your breathing while sleeping, making sleep apnea worse.
I hope that’s given you a few practical things to try!
In our November article we talked in detail about the macronutrients and how they’re used and stored in the body, so if you’re interested in knowing more about macronutrients and energy, pop over and read that next.
