Caffeine, when consumed moderately (three or four cups a day), can have positive benefits such as memory improvement, decreased fatigue, and lowered risk of developing stroke. However, it is a stimulant that provides no real nutritional benefit, and overconsumption can have negative effects ranging from addiction and withdrawal effects to anxiety, insomnia, vomiting, and more.
It's probably best to not rely on caffeine to increase your energy levels. Instead, there are many ways to avoid fatigue all while providing benefits. Finding ways to consume energy without caffeine can be tricky, so I'm here to help you out.
Drink Water
Dehydration makes you feel tired and weak, avoid this by drinking water regularly throughout the day. Drinking lemon with water in the morning can also give you a boost.
Manage Your Sleeping Schedule
Sleeping too much or not enough can be proven to be detrimental to your health. Try to set a habit by sleeping and waking up at the same time everyday. Even just a quick power nap can be very helpful. Who needs caffeine when energy without caffeine means you get more sleep!
Exercise
Exercise might be the last thing on your mind when you're feeling tired and restless, but studies show that it increases energy levels. Even just walking, meditating, or stretching can help, but the most improvement would be by making regular exercise a habit.
Get More Sunlight
Having a deficiency in Vitamin D can lead to depression, this is a reason why people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder during the winter. Soaking up some sunlight for a few minutes can increase your energy and miraculously boost your mood.
Limit Refined Carbohydrate Intake
Foods such as candy, white bread and rice, and pastries can spike your blood sugar and then leave you feeling drowsy and tired afterwards. Instead, choose whole grains, fruit, and legumes and limit your sugar intake.
Eat Small Frequent Meals
It's better to eat small, frequent meals than large meals everyday, since larger meals may cause a higher blood sugar spike. Some people even need to eat frequent snacks to avoid feeling tired.
Eat Breakfast
In the morning, your body may be energy deficient and need some sort of energy boost for the rest of the day ahead. Breakfast is definitely important to keep a steady energy throughout the day, especially a high-protein breakfast, including carbohydrates and healthy fats.
Smell Scented Spices
Spices such as cinnamon and peppermint, have had a correlation to boosting energy. Smelling or just eating cinnamon both have positive effects; it uses excess sugar consumed to be released as energy instead. Candles just got a lot more appealing.
Chew Gum
Although whether or not gum is beneficial to health is debatable, studies show that chewing gum can increase alertness. It also reduces stress and helps improve memory. Just chew some sugar-free gum and you should feel better almost instantly.
Have Fun
Watch a good show, listen to music, hang out with friends, just take some time out of your day to destress. This has been proven to reduce stress hormones and easily increase energy. Laughter really is the best medicine after all.
Before you reach for that next cup of coffee or energy drink, try these tips first and test them out. You might just forget about caffeine entirely.