Energy is essential to a healthy lifestyle. In this video, TV Doctor Rangan Chatterjee has three easy energy tips to help you feel less tired
‘Feeling tired and a lack of energy is probably one of the common complaints in my every day practice,’ says Dr Rangan Chatterjee, who appeared in BBC One series Doctor In The House and has released a new book, The Stress Solution: The 4 Steps to Reset Your Body, Mind, Relationships and Purpose.
Energy is a hard commodity to come by for many of us. Working long hours, staying in shape, spending time with family and friends and taking care of yourself takes substantial effort. There isn’t always much energy left over.
Luckily, Dr Rangan Chatterjee is here to help with his top three tips for more energy.
Energy tip #1: Drink more water
Everyone knows that drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Dr Chatterjee says it’s also essential for your energy levels.
‘More than 80 percent of the brain’s content is made up of water and every single chemical reaction requires it, especially energy production,’ Dr Chatterjee says.
Research from Vanderbilt University shows that ordinary water without any additives does more than just keep you hydrated. It increases action of your sympathetic nervous system, which raises your alertness, blood pressure and energy expenditure.
walking up and down a staircase is more likely to energising than ingesting 50 milligrams of caffeine.
According to Dr Chatterjee, eight glasses of water a day is enough for most of us to stay healthy and energised.
Energy tip #2: Prioritise your sleep
It seems simple to say that you’ll have more energy if you sleep more at night, but that doesn’t stop it from being true. Still, it’s easier said than done.
‘We often have infinite distractions these days such as Netflix boxsets,’ Dr Chatterjee says. ‘Why not try going to sleep about half an hour earlier and see if that makes a difference to your energy.’
A study found that there’s a connection between early bedtime and adequate sleep and your heart health. They find that an early to bed, early to rise style of sleep can help your cardiovascular health.
Dr Chatterjee suggests ‘Why not try going sleep half an hour earlier?’
Participants in the study were classified as short, adequate, and long sleepers. The participants who went to sleep earlier and got an adequate amount of sleep were less likely to smoke, remain sedentary and not eat enough fruits and vegetables.
Energy tip #3: Get more movement
A study from the University of Georgia found that if you’re tired, walking up and down a staircase is more likely to make you feel energised than ingesting 50 milligrams of caffeine.
‘Many of us spend our whole day slumped at our computer, looking at our phones and we’re not moving,’ Dr Chatterjee explains. ‘Moving gets blood moving around your body, it gets oxygen pumping and this gives us more energy.’
The study, aimed at sedentary workers in an office setting, found that participants felt more energetic and invigorated after walking than drinking caffeine. While there might not be time to have a full work out, there’s still time to walk up and down the stairs.
Dr Chatterjee suggests a ten minute brisk walk to give you more energy for when you return to work.
Doctor Rangan Chatterjee‘s new book The Stress Solution: The 4 Steps to Reset Your Body, Mind, Relationships and Purpose is out now.
Follow Dr Rangan Chatterjee on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
More from Dr Chatterjee:
3 things this TV doctor wants you to know about healthy weight loss
3 things this TV doctor wants you to know about mood
3 exercise tips this TV doctor wants you to know
More Healthista Content:
Is your Instagram making you ill?
The e-bike craze – what could it REALLY do for you?
Always tired? These 22 energy hacks will surprise you
10 natural libido boosters recommended by nutritionists
How to relieve stress without drugs – the expert’s guide
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
