Tired All the Time? This Is the Number One Reason People Feel Fatigued
Did you know that blood sugar swings are the number-one cause of feeling tired? Yale scientists say that getting your blood sugar under control can boost energy by 80 percent! Happily, stamina-sapping blood-sugar swings are almost 100 percent preventable, and you can reverse them in just seven days. Here’s how.
Daydream about violets.
It’s the perfect time of year to start thinking about your garden and choosing the seeds and plants you’d love to add. And spending 20 minutes daily daydreaming about that summer bounty and browsing through seed catalogues or online gardening sites can heighten your blood-sugar control by 33 percent, say researchers at Logan University in Missouri. Explains endocrinologist Brian Walker, M.D., happy thoughts — whatever they may be — tamp down the production of blood sugar–disrupting stress hormones.
Ditch the dishes.
Taking an hour each night to relax instead of hurriedly trying to finish every to-do before bed could enhance blood-sugar control, brain function, and stamina by 50 percent in one week, suggests a study in the Journal of Epidemiology. A daily dose of TLC increases your production of serotonin, a mood-lifting hormone that prods the pancreas to release sugar-controlling insulin. So take it easy!
Try a warming spice.
Turmeric is a flavorful spice found in curries, and supplementing with 500 to 1,000 mg. of it daily cuts the risk of blood-sugar swings in half, Italian scientists say. The result: a boost in vitality in just one week. Endocrinologist Don Zhang, M.D., says turmeric’s curcumin switches on enzymes that help the liver soak up sugars and release them when cells need a boost. One to try: Life Extension Curcumin Elite Turmeric Extract. Note: Check with a doctor before supplementing.
Choose the cheeseburger.
Great news from Australian researchers: Enjoying a couple of slices of cheese and a cup of yogurt daily (regular or lactose-free) reduces the odds of blood-sugar troubles and tiredness by 59 percent, as long as they’re full fat. That’s because dairy’s protein, calcium, and milk fats slow carb absorption in the digestive system and help muscles soak up and burn blood sugar for fuel.
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
