Ep.15/ How Not to Be Tired
TL:DR - Fatigue is a signal your body isn’t getting something that it needs. Figuring out what that is, and giving it to yourself is how to not be tired.
If you feel bright eyed and bushy tailed every morning when you wake up and manage to get through the afternoon without a slump in energy… this episode is absolutely not for you.
If, however, you are bleary and struggle to get out of bed without hitting snooze more than once or twice, and wished you had a coffee pot already warmed up next to your bed, stay tuned, because this episode is for you!
Today we’re talking energy and fatigue: how to maximize the former and minimize the later.
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To my thinking, there are two primary types of fatigue:
Normal fatigue. This is your run of the mill ‘went to work and now I’m home and need a rest’ kind of fatigue. This also includes being tired from an acute infection, or an injury. Times when you’re body’s taken a hit, and it’s entirely appropriate for it to be sleeeepyyyyy.
Abnormal or pathological fatigue. This is fatigue that’s coming from something happening deeper in your body and/or mind. Things like:
Acute infection that has turned chronic,
Thyroid disorder (hypothyroid)
Vitamin/mineral deficiency (including, but not limited to, b vitamins and iron)
Blood sugar dysregulation (i.e. diabetes and/or metabolic syndrome)
Chronic pain
‘Functional illness’ — CFS, fibro, etc
Depression, anxiety
Insomnia
Hormone imbalance
Autism spectrum disorder,
etc.
Many of these causes feed back and into other reasons for fatigue, including mitochondrial dysfunction, cortisol dysregulation, etc.
Here are a few things to consider on your journey to being more energetic and less tired:
How are You Framing Your Fatigue?
Fatigue is essentially letting you know that the body and/or mind are trying to cope, but can’t. They need something they’re not getting.
If there were a storm, and your house got flooded and the roof was ruined, would you just leave it? No, you’d get it fixed. ASAP. B/c, obvi, you need to live there. And yet we let storms (life) blow through our bodies and wreak havoc, but don’t take the time or care to support the repair of the physical and mental system.
Yes, part of this is culture — needing to hustle to make money. Rest is (for many) a privilege.
And many of us have the time and opportunity to rest, but won’t or don’t, because… ? I know I feel internal judgement for simply sitting. What am I doing this for? I’m not getting anything done!
We’re in a collective cultural moment when our systems are being shaken (hard). You absolutely cannot (cannot) rely on the world to give you permission or time or space to rest. No one is responsible for your life, or how you spend your time, except for you.
Understand your system: What does fatigue feel like for you?
Fatigue feels different for different people. You need to know how it feels in your body. And, how do different types of fatigue feel? Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you learn to understand your fatigue:
What do you need in any given moment? Or, if you take away the distractions, what are you left with?
Active or passive rest?
How do you know what kind of bandwidth you have? How do you know when it’s getting low?
What activities sap your energy?
What activities give you energy?
Minimize insults to your system
This one’s kind of self explanatory, but in case it’s not:
Avoid alcohol,
Minimize processed foods,
Set boundaries,
Stop doing things that drain you!
Build yourself up:
Food
Eat meat (the highest quality/best sourced you can afford) — meat has so many nutrients your body needs. I understand if you’re not into it for whatever reason, and I’m not advocating you be 100% carnivore 365, but a few servings a week can make a world of difference.
Eat greens and veg; check out the Wahls Protocol if you’re looking to get extra serious about your nutrition as it relates to energy levels.
Emphasize protein and fiber
Add in a multi mineral supplement (I like ConcenTrace)
Eat the highest quality food you can afford, avoiding processed foods where you can.
Enjoy traditional foods
Sleep
You need more than 6 hours of sleep. Stop lying to yourself, and go. to. sleep.
Keep a schedule.
Stop looking at screens, or, if you are looking at screens, don’t look at content that’s activating (news, social, etc).
Move,
but don’t overexercise.
Stop before you’re exhausted!
Do what you enjoy… yes, it counts.
Add some extra support
B vitamin complex
Magnesium bisglycinate (or soak in epsom salts)
Adaptogenic herbs — siberian ginseng (eleutherococcus senticosus), ashwagandha, schisandra, etc
Creatine
I’ve put together a protocol here.**
Regardless of your levels of energy or fatigue, you can learn how to optimize your energy by understanding the motor centers in your Human Design chart. How they work, what they do, and the implications of having defined and undefined motor centers.
**Note: nothing in this article or episode is a substitute for medical advice; please work with a qualified and licensed health care provider in your area.
