Low energy

This year I’m trying to write on a schedule and one problem that has interfered are my low levels of energy. So I’m tackling this question today: How do I increase my energy levels so I can show up to life every day?

Sleep

Initially, it seems like the answer to sleep debt is to just get more sleep. But really better sleep is what we need, and better sleep is more about cadence. After running through a few sleep cycles the brain goes into standby mode where its ready to wake up. If I wake up before then, or decide to snooze for another fifteen minutes, my brain shifts into a sleep cycle and won’t perform optimally.

Related to this, if I’m waking up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, I need to take a look at factors that might be influencing this. Drinking too much at the end of the day, or particularly, drinking too much caffeine or alcohol.

Eat and Drink

Alcohol can help us fall asleep, but unfortunately, it interferes with the quality sleep we need and can interfere with breathing. Caffeine shouldn’t be consumed less than six hours before bed, and regular use of caffeine causes the brain to start increasing the adenosine receptors caffeine binds with which leads to an increased reliance on caffeine to maintain energy.

And I know one major factor affecting my energy throughout the day are the effects that carbs and sugar have. Eating high carb foods will spike blood sugar, which would be fine if I were running up a mountain, but since I’m usually sitting, this leads to high blood sugar levels and an eventual crash as insulin is dumped into my system.

Move

The insulin is there, of course, to unlock my fat cells so the sugars can be stored. This leads to weight gain and lots of changes to hormone levels. Fat cells produce leptin which usually decreases appetite, but too much leptin leads to leptin resistance because the body is not a simple machine.

Which is why moving actually leads to increases in energy. I may feel tired after a brisk walk, but once I recover I’ll feel increased levels of energy. I’ll generate more mitochondria in my muscle cells and improve oxygen transport.

In one sense I’m dealing with basic supply and demand economics. The fat cells are like warehouses where I’m stockpiling sugars.The muscles are like storefronts where I actually “sell” the sugars to consumers. The muscles have a little bit of energy on hand for normal demand, but for higher demands it uses a complex supply chain to resupply. If I’m not moving the sugars through this system, my body isn’t going to build up the supply chain needed to supply the muscles with energy.