Do you find yourself yawning all the way to work? Do you struggle with daily fatigue that you can’t beat? Are you tired no matter how much sleep you get?
Starting about 6 months ago, I started experiencing significant daily fatigue. It has gotten to the point where I fall asleep if I sit still for too long. It has impacted my relationship because I can’t even stay awake to spend quality time with my partner. One time I actually took a nap in a crowded climbing gym! It is to the point where I’m constantly fighting fatigue. And I’m fed up. I’m fed with up being tired all of the time!
I’m starting my anti-fatigue journey and you should join me. Here are 5 things I am doing to get rid of fatigue and reclaim my energy.
Creating a consistent sleep schedule
One thing I’ve been really focusing on is creating a consistent sleep schedule. And I don’t just mean to make sure I get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. I am making sure that I go to sleep around the same time every single day and wake up at the same time every day. I even try to make sure I wake up at the end of a sleep cycle. This is because we are in a lighter sleep at the end of each sleep cycle, so waking up during this time helps reduce grogginess and fatigue. I have been using an app called Sleepytime. This app will tell you when you need to wake up based on what time you go to bed and your sleep cycles. It can also tell you what time you need to go to bed based on your wake up time.
Exercising regularly
I don’t know about you, but exercising regularly actually brings me energy. When I exercise regularly, I feel like I just get better rest at night and I wake up feeling less tired. But I always fall off track for some reason. I’m making a commitment to start exercising more regularly and getting more movement throughout the day. Do you want to join me? Check out my 30-Day Walking Challenge!
Taking adrenal cortex
One possible cause of fatigue is adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands sit on the top of your kidneys and create a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone and usually is high during times of acute stress. However, with the current political and socioeconomic climate, I’m pretty much stressed all the time. Chronic, long-term stress is not good for us in the long run. It causes our cortisol levels to be high for extended periods of time and leads to adrenal fatigue, which manifests itself by a group of symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, depression, salt and sugar cravings, and difficulty falling asleep or waking up. Mainstream medicine does not recognize this as a diagnosis (yet), but I’m sure there are thousands, if not millions of people, dealing with these symptoms right now.
What is Adrenal Cortex?
Adrenal Cortex is a product produced by Thorne. Although I am not affiliated with the company in any way, I can vouch that Thorne products are very high quality and go through rigorous third-party testing. The Adrenal Cortex product page states that it “supports a stable level of stress hormones to promote a balanced stress response, boost energy levels, and maintain healthy adrenal function.” The reviews on the product were glowing, so I decided to order myself a bottle and see how it goes. I take it first thing in the morning and then in the afternoon to get through the afternoon slump. Overall, I do feel like it is helping my energy levels. I find that I get over the grogginess faster in the morning, and the afternoon dose gives me the energy to do chores or participate in hobbies. Like writing this blog!
The improvement is small, but I’ve only been taking the product for a little less than a week. I hope that the more I take it, the better I feel. If you are interested to see reviews or order your own bottle, see the product here. But please speak with your doctor before trying new supplements or medications.
Meditation
This also is along the line of stress reduction. I’ve been using Headspace to follow guided meditations every morning and I also follow wind down meditations in the evening before bed. I am feeling so much more grounded and less stressed. Because of my meditations in the evening, I find myself drifting off to sleep faster. If you’ve never meditated before, you don’t have to start big. I started off meditating for only 5 minutes each day. I would start with 1 minute of deep breathing and then 4 minutes of guided meditation. If you want to dip your toes in, there are many different programs with guided meditations out there – Calm, Headspace, and Better Sleep are just a few available. I’ve tried both Headspace and Better Sleep, and I’m not partial to either one. Headspace is just provided to me for free through my work.
Eating enough
For the past 5 years, I would only eat 1-2 meals per day. I’ve never been much of a breakfast person. I worked as a barista for 3.5 years with odd hours that left me only consistently eating dinner (and consuming copious amounts of caffeine). When I switched to an office job, I did a little better and ate lunch more often, but I still would not ever eat breakfast.
And I was wondering why I’d always have these energy crashes? Often times, these were accompanied by feeling shaky as well. Hello, low blood sugar! I was basically tanking my blood sugar by not eating. I had the opportunity to wear a Continuous Glucose Monitor for 10 days a few years ago, and the alarm was constantly beeping with blood sugar readings in the 50s! No wonder I felt so fatigued!
So, in the beginning of 2025, I made a commitment to myself to eat 3 square meals per day. They don’t have to be large meals, but I have to eat something for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ever since I started this habit, the occurrence of low blood sugars has dropped dramatically. So, make sure you are eating enough to fuel yourself and not feel fatigued! This goes for drinking water as well!
So, where does this leave you? Do any of these actions resonate with you? Let me know in the comments what you are doing to reclaim your energy!