Likewise, you should try to avoid putting any important activities at 4pm. Similarly, we know we have more cortisol and energy in the morning but it takes a while for that sleep inertia to wear off. A good time to do something productive then would be an hour or two after waking up. Maybe this is a good time to close those open loops?
Remember, we're all different: so take some time out to map out your energy ebbs and flows. Ask yourself every couple of hours throughout the day how your energy is holding up. Overtime you should learn to accurately predict where your energy will be at any given time.
And as well as having daily rhythms based on our internal body clock and 'external zeitgebers' (environmental cues), we also have energy ebbs and flows on a longer term basis. This can happen monthly for instance or even quarterly. Any athlete will know that sometimes they're able to hit the gym hard for weeks on end and then suddenly they lose all energy and enthusiasm to go. We'll look into this in more detail later but for now just follow this tip: listen to your body and give it time to rest when it needs it.
Perfecting Sleep
So that's energy management pretty much covered. Now you need to start thinking about how you can increase that energy and keep it high. In other words, how do you fix your biological energy levels? How do you encourage your body to produce more energy? How do you increase the 'starting point' and the 'baseline' for your energy?
That's what the rest of this book is going to be about and really there are three big pillars to this: sleep, exercise and nutrition.
We're going to start with sleep because it is by far the most important aspect when it comes to increasing your energy. Energy is what sleep is all about and when you consider that we evolved to spend 8 hours of our day (at least) asleep, this tells you that we probably really need it. In fact, if you look at any animal, you will find that they tend to nap throughout the day too whenever they get the chance. If they're not exercising/active/exerting themselves, they're resting. Simple! (Remember that 'no wobbling' thing? Animals are pros at it!)
So the very first tip is to start prioritizing sleep again. Keep track of how many hours you are sleeping a night and if the conclusion is anything under 8, then change your routine. Again: this will often mean doing less with your day or week but note that you will feel better in nearly every single way if you do this. Consider your sleep sacred because after a great night's sleep, you'll feel much better. Once you get into the habit of sleeping properly, you'll find that you actually start being able to do more in the fewer hours you are spending awake.
How to Get More Restorative Sleep
But sleep quantity is only one part of the story. What's actually arguably more important is sleep quality.
In other words, making sure that your sleep is restorative and that you are getting good value out of it.
Now, we're not going to go into detail on all the things you need to do to sleep better here. The basics you already know or can probably guess. At the very least, there are plenty of online resources on tips for fixing your sleep.
Just to recap, this is what you should already be doing to enhance your sleep:
Keep your room dark
Keep your room quiet
Maintain the correct temperature – ideally slightly cooler than normal
Only use your bed for sleeping and sex so your brain associates it with sleep
Try wearing socks to bed
Avoid eating too soon before bed
Get plenty of exercise and fresh air during the day
Avoid caffeine
At the same time though, there are a few other things you can do that will have a more powerful benefit.
One of the very most profound is to have a hot shower or bath before bed. Why? Because it relaxes your muscles and at the same time encourages
your body to produce melatonin and growth hormone. Have a hot bath and then immediately go to bed and you'll feel yourself sinking into the mattress. As an added bonus, you'll now also have one less thing you need to do in the morning!
Supplement with vitamin D in the mornings. This will help your body to better regulate your internal clock and in turn that will ensure you are producing the right hormones at the right times for sleep. You should also make sure you are getting plenty of zinc, magnesium and tryptophan in your diet – all these things will help you to sleep better.
And as well as keeping your room darker, you should also avoid light as you get closer to bed. In particular, you should avoid light from screens which stimulates cortisol production. Another option is to try wearing 'blue blocking glasses' which theoretically block the wavelengths that cause the cortisol production – but actually this will make a marginal difference at best. Instead, just stay away from your phone an hour before bed or try reading quietly.
This is all great but if you only follow one tip, make it the bath before bed!
Oh and definitely avoid alcohol before bed. Avoiding alcohol in general will do wonders for your energy levels but it's especially important for your sleep. If you drink alcohol and then go to bed, your body will fight to get rid of the toxins and your heartrate will be high all night. As a result, you'll barely get any benefit from your sleep. You're also unlikely to go into the deepest stages of sleep (SWS – Slow Wave Sleep) at any point. So keep clear!
Why Am I Waking Up Groggy?
So what if you're following all these tips and you're still waking up with a groggy head or just generally feeling unrefreshed?
It may be that something's wrong and you're not getting the full benefit from your sleep as a result. Common culprits include:
Mold – If you have mold in your room then you'll be breathing in mycotoxins and mold spores. These can dry out your throat and lungs and cause inflammation and poor sleep.
Dehydration – If you wake up dehydrated, then you can expect to have a headache and dry throat. Not a great start to the day! Go to bed with a big glass of water and consider having some chia seeds which will store hydration while you rest.
Pollen – Another reason you might be waking up feeling rough could be that you're having an allergic reaction to pollen! Even if you didn't know you were allergic, this is something that can develop at any point during your life. So close the window!
Medication – If you are using antianxiety medication, antidepressants or – ironically – antihistamines, then these can leave you tired and groggy in the morning. Even some sleeping tablets will make you feel tired in the morning – steer clear of relying on melatonin to get to sleep!
Apnea – If you still can't work out what's wrong, it might be that you have a case of sleep apnea. This means that you are stopping breathing in the night and waking up for short periods and often patients are unaware when they have the condition. Go to a sleep
clinic and they may recommend you try using a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure).
How to Get Out of Bed Right Away, Every Time
One of the biggest ways to ruin your energy levels and to waste your time is to keep hitting snooze on your alarm. We think it will make us feel better but in fact we will feel much worse!
The first tip to help you stop doing this? Just acknowledge that fact. Remind yourself when you go to hit snooze that you will feel worse. This is basic CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and if you can really believe it, it will help you to avoid making the mistake.
Of course going to bed earlier also helps. And another trick? Try just sitting up when the alarm goes off and reading. Instead of launching out of bed – which can seem a Herculean task – just aim to sit up. After five minutes, you'll find it's much better to go the whole distance.
Another tip is to invest in a daylight lamp. These include the likes of the Lumie products which are basically lamps combined with alarm clocks. These work by gradually getting brighter as it gets closer to morning and this can slowly wake you up. What's more, they make a light that is that much closer to the wavelength of the sun and this helps send the right signals to your brain. They're actually used to treat SAD but everyone can benefit from being woken by a simulated sunrise!
Exercise for Energy
Now we've mastered sleep, it's time to look at something else: exercise.
Exercise has a complex relationship with energy because it is one of the most powerful tools there is for boosting energy levels. At the same time though, there are few things that are more difficult to do with low energy than workout. If you have low energy, you won't exercise – it's that simple. But this is a shame seeing as exercise is one of the best ways to improve your sleep, to raise your mood and to boost your energy efficiency.
In this chapter then, we'll look at how to exercise for energy and how to exercise with low energy.
Introducing: HIIT
If you have no time or energy for working out then the solution for you may well be HIIT.
HIIT is a type of training that is perfect for this situation for two reasons. The first reason is that HIIT doesn't take very long. So if you have low energy, you don't need to try and encourage yourself to train for two hours – rather you can get a good workout in under ten minutes!
What's more, HIIT is highly effective at increasing your mitochondrial function. The mitochondria are the 'energy factories' that live inside our cells. They convert glucose into ATP and from there, they then allow us to use that ATP to move our muscles and even to think and run around. If you have more mitochondria and they function better, you will have more focus, better mood, improved memory, healthier sleep and more energy for working out.
As an added bonus, HIIT is also very good for boosting your VO2 max. This is your body's ability to extra oxygen from the air and to then use it. The better your VO2 max, the less out of breath you will likely become. And like all forms of cardiovascular exercise, HIIT will also improve your heart health and thus your circulation.
So what exactly is HIIT?
Essentially, this stands for 'High Intensity Interval Training' and describes a type of training that involves short periods of high exertion punctuated by short periods of active recovery.
If you go jogging for an hour, this is what you call 'steady state cardio'. This type of exercise does have its merits and can be useful but it is less efficient than sprinting for 2 minutes and then jogging for 1 for a total of four reps. And that's what HIIT is all about.
A typical HIIT session then might last 20-30 minutes and involve periods of running or sprinting and periods of light jogging or slow walking. If you only have four minutes to spare, then you can use the incredibly intensive 'tabata workout'. Build up to this, because it's a big challenge, but once you have the baseline fitness this training involves sprinting for 20 seconds and resting for 10 for a total of 8 repetitions. It's brutal but it's highly effective.
Do your HIIT outside and you'll find that you also benefit from fresh air and sunlight that will help you to sleep better. Use it 4 times a week and you'll see noticeable differences to your energy levels and your physique in no time.
But I Don't Have the Energy!
As mentioned, HIIT is great for those short on energy and time because it only has to last 30 minutes at most. This means you can always squeeze it in when you're busy.
But that said, it's still very intensive and you won't always have the motivation to train like this when you're feeling tired.
So what do you do instead?
Well, consider HIIT the best tool for your energy levels but when you can't use that, know that anything is better than nothing. If you have low energy, then doing 10 press-ups before bed is still going to help. It may not be much but even this short amount of exertion can still burn calories, improve your energy efficiency and help to increase your energy levels for tomorrow. Moreover though, after you've done 10 press-ups, you'll almost always find that it becomes much easier to do a bit more.
Another tip for exercising when you don't want to?
Come up with some kind of exercise you enjoy.
If you absolutely hate running, then don't try and force yourself to do it. How about skipping instead? Or playing tennis? Or punching a punch bag? Most of us enjoy some kind of physical activity, so just think about how you can make that into a workout. And if that means playing a Wii game… then so be it! Actually, if you're going to be trying to lose weight on the Wii, then you may as well pick Zumba Fitness Wii – it's actually pretty good for weight loss!
Make your workouts fun and make sure to do at least something. If you make this your target for the first two months, then by month three you should have enough energy to start using low-level HIIT.
The Right Shoes
Another very important tip to help make working out easier if you're going to be running, is to make sure you invest in the right shoes. These can make a huge difference because when you get a light, snug fitting shoe, it will make you feel much more light-footed, faster and generally more 'springy'. This translates into more energy in the gym and on the roads and that means better workouts and better payoffs.
So what are the right shoes? This will depend somewhat on your natural stride but it's well worth looking into a minimalist shoe. This will be something like the Nike Free Run 5.0 or the Vibram Five Fingers. These allow your foot to move flexibly and they will bend and contort in all manner of directions. As a result, you can then allow your foot to bend and use your feet muscles as you run – which makes a massive difference to your technique.