“Instead of consuming caffeine and refined sugar, which give you a brief moment of energy followed by a crash later, a healthier approach is to eat some natural sources of sugar like fresh fruit,” says Dr. Darling suggests doing at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Regular exercise can lead to big improvements in your overall health, too. If you’re looking to improve your energy for the long haul, Dr. Go for a short walk, outdoors if possible, to fight off afternoon fatigue. But doing even the smallest amount of activity in the morning is energizing and can help you to wake up.” “Most people can’t fit in a 30- to 60-minute workout in the morning, especially if they’re tired and want to get as much sleep as possible. “I’m a big advocate of doing something, even if it’s just for five minutes,” says Dr.

When you get your body moving, you get that blood flowing, and waking up your muscles with even a small stretch will help you feel more awake. Do five jumping jacks, go for a walk around the block, jump on the elliptical for 15 minutes or do a couple of squats. You’re probably thinking, How can I think about working out if I can barely get out of bed? But you don’t need to go hard on the treadmill to benefit from a little exercise in the morning. “That can actually help you feel more awake.” 2. “You probably haven’t had any fluids for the last eight hours, so the best thing you can do is drink a glass of water first thing in the morning,” advises Dr. You should be drinking water all day, but your body is typically dehydrated when you wake up, so this is something you should do first thing in the morning. Grab a glass of waterįulfill that thirst before you do anything else. Here’s how you can stay awake without it. But there are a number of things you can do to actually address the fatigue you’re trying to fight off without relying on caffeine to get you by. Quitting caffeine is hard, especially if you’ve been relying on it for months (or even years). Essentially, you’re getting a false sense of energy from the caffeine.” How to stay awake without coffee or caffeine “You compensate with caffeine, sugar and processed snacks to get a burst of energy. “When you’re skimping on sleep and burning the candle at both ends, it can feel like you’re running yourself into the ground,” says Dr. But if you’re experiencing chronic fatigue every day, reaching for caffeine without making any other lifestyle changes is like slapping a bandage on a bullet wound. It’s normal to struggle a little the day after a rough night’s sleep. “When people are reaching for caffeine as a pick-me-up to get through the day, the underlying cause of that fatigue needs to be addressed,” says osteopathic physician Sandra Darling, DO. While one cup (or three) of black coffee a day can be good for brain and liver health, relying on caffeine all day, every day - especially carbonated beverages like soda - can actually be getting in the way of much healthier solutions. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.

Foods that keep you awake and focused