What Causes Reactive Hypoglycemia?

Diabetics often get low blood sugar when they take insulin or another antidiabetic medication that drops their blood sugar too low. Insulin, which is produced by you pancreas, is secreted when you eat. It helps sugar (glucose) get into your cells where you need it for energy. Too much insulin causes blood sugar to drop too quickly. Once that energy source is used up, there is not enough blood sugar to replace it, and you get symptoms of hypoglycemia. [1-2]

Reactive hypoglycemia is also caused by too much insulin. It occurs a few hours after eating. The cause is not completely known. It may be a developing failure to regulate insulin secretion that is a warning sign for type 2 diabetes. It can also occur after weight loss surgery, if food passes through your stomach too quickly. [1,2]

Other Types of Non-diabetic Hypoglycemia

Mild symptoms of hypoglycemia are common. They can happen if you exercise and you have not eaten enough, or if you go a long time without eating. You can feel hungry, jittery, weak, or even nauseous. That’s your body telling you that you need sugar for energy. Eating a carbohydrate food that breaks down into sugar will make these symptoms go away. [3]

Postprandial syndrome is symptoms of hypoglycemia that occur about four hours after eating a high carbohydrate meal. This condition does not cause your blood sugar to drop down to below 70. It stays in the low normal range. You may have mild hypoglycemia symptoms. Eating some carbs makes them go away. [1]

Symptoms of Reactive Hypoglycemia

In other causes of non-diabetic hypoglycemia, blood sugar usually does not drop below 70. If you have reactive hypoglycemia, as your blood sugar drops lower, symptoms can start out as mild but they can increase to moderate and serious if you don’t get some sugar into you system. Mild hypoglycemia causes:

• Hunger
• Nausea
• Shakiness
• Nervousness
• Palpitations
• Cold and clammy sweating [3]

Moderate hypoglycemia causes:

• Mood swings
• Unsteady weakness
• Irritability
• Confusion
• Blurred vision [3]

Severe hypoglycemia can be life threatening. It can cause you to pass out and have seizures. [3]

Diet Changes for Non-Diabetic Hypoglycemia

Fruit is less likely to wreak havoc on your blood sugar than, say, a bag of gummy worms.

Fortunately, all the causes of nondiabetic hypoglycemia respond to eating some carbs. This will raise you blood sugar and relieve symptoms. You need about 15 grams of carbohydrates, which will break down to sugar for energy. Examples include fruit juice, milk, raisins, hard candy, or a glucose tablet. [3]

For long-term management, it will be important to eat smaller and more frequent meals. Spread your consumption of carbohydrates from foods like fruits, vegetables, and starches out evenly during the day. You should limit high-sugar foods. When you eat a meal, always include a lean protein, some healthy fat, and whole grain foods. These foods slow down your digestion and help you avoid spikes in sugar and insulin. [2]

The key to long-term management is keeping your blood sugar between 70 and 100. To do that you should avoid foods that are high in sugar and cause a rapid increase in insulin. These include:

• Baked good like cakes, cookies, pies
• Puddings, custards, ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt
• Jellies and jams
• Syrups, honey, and nectars
• Sweetened drinks and fruit juice over 4 ounces
• Candy
• White or brown sugar [1]

Mild symptoms of hypoglycemia that occur occasionally are normal, but if you have symptoms that occur frequently or you have more severe symptoms, let your doctor know. Your doctor may diagnose reactive hypoglycemia from your symptoms and blood testing. [1,3]

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• “High-Energy Diet: 5 Ways to Fuel Your Body“

SOURCES

1. UWHealth: Nutrition Management of Low Blood Sugar Without Diabetes (Postprandial Syndrome and Reactive Hypoglycemia). https://www.uwhealth.org/healthfacts/nutrition/396.pdf
2. The Endocrine Society: Non Diabetic Hypoglycemia. https://www.hormone.org/diseases-and-conditions/diabetes/non-diabetic-hypoglycemia
3. University of Michigan Medicine: Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar) in People Without Diabetes. https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/rt1054

The post Symptoms of Hypoglycemia Without Diabetes Could Be Reactive Hypoglycemia appeared first on University Health News.

Don’t stop there. Consider also your protein and fiber sources, the effects of caffeine, and how often and when you eat meals.

Got Protein? Got Fiber?

Steer toward protein-rich nuts and seeds. Almonds, Brazil nuts, and cashews are steeped in the mineral magnesium, which converts sugar into energy; peanuts, hazelnuts, and walnuts also work as magnesium sources. Brazil nuts, by the way, also contain selenium, a natural mood booster (although too much selenium, experts say, can be harmful). Pumpkin seeds and squash seeds also work as energy-boosting foods.

Look to lean beef along with lean pork and skinless turkey and chicken give your body protein and tyrosine. Tyrosine is known to enhance the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, brain chemicals that can help you feel energized and alert. Fish is another energy-boosting food. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can contribute to good heart health.

Make sure you give your body enough fiber as well. Found in vegetables (dark leafy greens) as well as whole grains and beans, fiber helps steady your energy level throughout the day. Whole fruits also provide fiber, among other benefits.

Energy-Boosting Foods: Tips on Caffeine, Meal Frequency

Standbys in the energy-boosting arena include coffee, tea, and chocolate, all of which give us caffeine.

While caffeine gives us that surge of energy we need every morning (and beyond), be careful not to overdo it. Too much caffeine can backfire by keeping you awake at night and robbing you of necessary sleep.

Another tip experts offer: Rather than three classic “large” meals, eat small meals and give yourself healthy snacks every three to four hours. Stick with the options mentioned above—nuts, whole fruits, whole vegetables, carbs—rather than sweets and sugars. This tactic will keep your energy level steady throughout the day.

Energy-Boosting Foods: Focus on These at Mealtimes

To fuel your energy level over the course of a day, consider diving into these types of food combinations:

Breakfast

• Whole grain bagel or toast with cheese or peanut butter.
• High-fiber cereal or yogurt with fruits (banana or apple slices, blueberries, and strawberries all work).
• Oatmeal with raisins.
• Eggs, hard-boiled or scrambled, with fruit.
• And don’t chug your coffee; the caffeine is said to peak in your bloodstream quickly if you down a large one right away (vs. taking your time).

Lunch

• Protein-rich salad featuring grilled chicken and/or chickpeas or soybeans and walnuts on top of dark-leaf greens, broccoli, and peppers.
• Baked potato with sour cream.
• Grilled chicken or tuna on whole-wheat bread with dark-leaf greens.

Snacks

• Trail mix; combine raisins with almonds, cashews, and/or walnuts, squash or pumpkin seeds, Cheerios or Chex mix, and whole-grain pretzels for a pick-me-up snack.
• Fruit salad featuring melons, bananas, blackberries, strawberries, and grapes.
• Yogurt topped with berries.
• Sliced apples with a spoonful of all-natural peanut butter.

For energy-boosting foods, make “smart carbs” part of your diet. Among the most popular choices: brown rice. [Photo: © Airborne77 | Dreamstime]

• Opt for lean poultry, seafood, lean pork or meats in combination with dark leafy greens (collard greens, broccoli, spinach), orange and red vegetables (carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash), and brown rice or sweet potato.

For further reading on energy-boosting foods, visit the National Institutes of Health’s page on senior health and the United States Department of Agriculture’s ChooseMyPlate.gov site.

See also the following University Health News posts:

• “High-Energy Diet: 5 Ways to Fuel Your Body“
• “Plant-Based Diets: Healthier Eating and a Longer Life Span“
• “Nitrates in Food: The Best Fuel for Physical Activity?“
• “Healthy Dinner Options: Ideas for All Tastes“

Originally posted in 2016 and regularly updated.

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You may already adhere to a high-energy diet. But if you find yourself routinely dragging through the day, consider the five following common-sense strategies.

Energy Diet Tip #1: Build in Balance

Protein is key, and carbohydrates are natural energy boosters. You even need some fat, particularly unsaturated fat from plant sources like avocado, but don’t go crazy in any of those areas.

• Protein has four calories per gram. In a healthy diet, according to Group Health (www.ghc.org), about 12 to 20 percent of your total daily calories should come from protein. Your body needs protein for energy and can store it for use when needed (mostly by your muscles).
• Carbohydrates also have four calories per gram. Keep your carb intake steady, focusing on healthy ones; slow-digesting whole grains (like multigrain bread and brown rice), lentils, and legumes work to steady your blood sugar and insulin levels, keeping your energy level at a constant. These healthy carbs also help to keep you from feeling hungry for long stretches. And remember to back off not-so-healthy carbs: soda, juice, and sweetened beverages (more on those in a minute) as well as candy, cookies, and cake.
• Fat has nine calories per gram; in a healthy and balanced energy diet, “about 30 percent of total daily calories should come from fat,” according to Group Health. “This means eating about 50 to 80 grams of fat each day.” Limit saturated fats (found in foods—dairy and meats—that come from animals) and trans fats (found in processed foods and many fried fast foods). Instead, opt for mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperatures (think olive, canola, and nut oils).

Energy Diet Tip #2: Don’t Skip Meals

How often do you rush out the door in the morning with just a cup of a coffee? Not a good idea. Give yourself natural energy foods to start your day; if you don’t have time for—or don’t want—a bigger breakfast, consider an oatmeal to go, some banana slices topped with peanut butter, a yogurt with berries, or a fresh-fruit (or vegetable) smoothie. (See our post “Healthy Energy Drinks: Use These 3 Ingredients in Delicious DIY Mixes.”)

There are days when you feel like you don’t have time for lunch, but you shouldn’t deprive your body of mid-day nutrition. Typically, bypassing lunch means pigging out at dinner time… and who needs to load up on protein, carbs, and calories that late in the day?

“Skipping meals may make you feel hungrier and lead you to eat more than you normally would at your next meal,” according to the National Institutes of Health. “In particular, studies show a link between skipping breakfast and obesity. People who skip breakfast tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast.”
A study published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology features this summary: “Skipping breakfast is associated with an increased odds of prevalent noncoronary and generalized atherosclerosis independently of the presence of conventional CV risk factors.” In other words, skipping breakfast, according to research, is linked to plaque buildup in the arteries. (See also this report from CBS: “Heart Study Finds Another Reason Not to Skip Breakfast.”)

Energy Diet Tip #3: Forget the “Three Squares” Tradition

Not only should you avoid skipping breakfast or lunch, but it’s a good idea, experts say, to expand upon the classic “three square meals” custom. Make a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack part of your daily energy diet; they’ll help keep your energy level on an even keel.

For healthy choices, keep a small low-fat yogurt, a couple of whole-wheat crackers with peanut butter, veggies with hummus, or a bag of almonds, walnuts, or pistachios in your bag and replenish your body’s supply of carbs and proteins.

Energy Diet Tip #4: Hydrate Wisely

Diet and nutrition advice often focuses on food. But don’t overlook fluids. “What you drink is as important as what you eat,” the USDA advises. “Many beverages contain added sugars and offer little or no nutrients, while others may provide nutrients but too much fat and too many calories.”

Don’t underestimate the importance of staying hydrated. Best choice, as always: water.

One smart move for an energy diet is to drop soda—cold-turkey. A single 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola will put 65 grams of sugar in your body along with 240 calories from sugar, according to SugarStacks.com, while a 20-ounce Mountain Dew has 77 grams of sugar and 290 calories from sugar. Small 8-ounce cans of energy drinks like Red Bull and Rockstar give you around 30g of sugar.

Apple juice and orange juice, for the vitamins they promote, have around 25 grams of sugar in an 8-ounce bottle, as do non-diet bottles of iced tea.

And don’t be swayed into thinking that diet soda pop is “healthy”; a well-publicized study at Purdue University in 2013 found that artificially sweetened diet sodas are linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. A single can of diet soda every day, according to researchers at Purdue, “is enough to significantly increase the risk for health problems.”

So give up soft drinks and opt for water, which is more accessible, will keep you better hydrated, and will help you avoid extra calories and sugar. Oh, and don’t forget dairy; choose low-fat or fat-free milk or fortified soy milk, the USDA recommends: “Older children, teens, and adults need three cups of milk per day.”

Almond milk is a good alternative, but opt for the unsweetened and unflavored variety. It typically tastes just as good but doesn’t load you with extra sugar—and provides you with 25 percent of your daily vitamin D needs. Soy milk has more calories, typically—around 150, vs. 85 to 90 in almond milk, in an 8-ounce glass. But it does give you 7 grams of protein, vs. 1 gram in almond milk. As with almond milk, opt for unsweetened, unflavored soy milk.

Peaches and pears are among the accessible natural foods that supply you with vitamin K, among other nutrients.

Energy Diet Tip #5: Be Vitamin-Conscious, Naturally

Consider the 13 essential vitamins we need in a worthy energy diet: Are you getting the types of energy-boosting foods that provide them? Balancing your diet with the right vitamins will help keep your energy level steady. Here’s a sampling of food sources that supply each of the 13 essential vitamins:

• Vitamin A: Sweet potato, cooked carrots, dark leafy greens, squash, cantaloupe melon, sweet red peppers, tropical fruit (including mango).
• Vitamin B1/thiamin: Pork, ham, dark green leafy vegetables, fortified whole grain cereals, lentils, almonds and pecans.
• Vitamin B2/riboflavin: Milk, yogurt, cheese, fish, chicken, eggs, and asparagus, spinach and other green leafy vegetables.
• Vitamin B3/niacin: Chia seeds, sprouted beans, fortified cereals, whole wheat, legumes and peanuts, chicken, turkey, pork, and such fish as cooked yellowfin and Bluefin tuna, swordfish, mackerel, salmon, and halibut.
• Vitamin B5/pantothenic acid: Sweet potato, cauliflower, broccoli, beet greens, asparagus, turnip greens, bell peppers, cucumber, celery, chicken, turkey, salmon, beef, eggs, dried peas, lentil, mil, raspberries, pineapple, grapefruit, oranges, and tomatoes.
• Vitamin B6: Seafood, poultry, potatoes, fortified cereals, and green leafy vegetables.
• Vitamin B7/biotin: Turkey, pork, beef, mushrooms, eggs, avocados, Swiss chard, sunflower seeds, tuna, salmon, whole-wheat bread, peanut butter, almonds, bananas, and berries.
• Vitamin B9/folate: Leafy greens, all-grain breads, and all-grain rice and pasta.
• Vitamin B12: Animal foods like beef plus seafood fare like clams, mussels, crab, and “fin” fish.
• Vitamin C: Oranges, grapefruits, and citrus fruits, cantaloupes, strawberries, kiwi, papayas, tomatoes, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, and peas.
• Vitamin D: Oily fish, cod liver oil, Portobello mushrooms, fortified cereals, eggs. (See also “Natural Food Sources of Vitamin D.”)
• Vitamin E: Raw seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, dark leafy greens like kale, turnip greens, and Swiss chard, avocados, shellfish, salmon, swordfish, herring, kiwi, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, and apricots.
• Vitamin K: Green leafy vegetables including kale, spinach, collards, and beet greens, herbs like dried basil, parsley, and thyme, salad vegetables, pickles, soybeans, olive oil, dried fruits like blueberries, prunes, peaches, and pears.

Originally published in 2016, this post is regularly updated.

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Luckily for my marriage (and the mental health of our two children), I ate a big, healthy breakfast and soon felt my “hanger” dissipate. My family breathed a collective sigh of relief over their pancakes.

Normally, I consider myself to be a rational person. It takes a lot to irk me, so I was surprised by how quickly I flew off the handle while I was in a food-deprived state. That got me wondering: What does it mean to be hangry? What causes this condition, and is there a way to prevent hunger from ruling our emotions? Here’s what I learned.

What Does Hangry Mean?

Officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary this February (and also counted as a real word at Merriam-Webster), the hangry definition is as you’d expect: “Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.” Sound familiar?

It’s safe to say the majority of us know the feeling. “Usually we get ‘hangry’ because there is blood sugar instability or a severe drop in blood glucose levels, which some health practitioners refer to as ‘reactive hypoglycemia,’” says Rochelle Sirota, a New-York based Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. Research has proven that having low blood sugar can lead to aggression.

But what about other emotions—such as frustration, irritability, or anxiety? According to Jennifer MacCormack, M.A., a lead researcher of several studies about the science of being hangry, biological changes caused by hunger (e.g., increased levels of cortisol and adrenaline, which can cause rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure) play a key role in triggering emotions. “Hunger is literally generating a very basic emotional feeling of being negative or unpleasant and tense,” she explains.

In general, MacCormack says, hunger by itself doesn’t make a person emotional. If someone who’s hungry is exposed to a negative or unpleasant situation while feeling negative, he is more likely to become “hangry” and blame his anger on outside sources or factors.

Hangry Research

On the other hand, someone who is hungry, happy, and exposed to a positive or neutral situation is more likely to recognize hunger as the culprit of any feelings of unease. Thus, she’ll more likely reach for a snack—and then deal with a situation calmly.

In MacCormack’s most recent study, published in the journal Emotion, she found those who take the time to think about their emotions don’t get as hangry when their stomachs are rumbling. Her other finding: Those who don’t think about their emotions are more likely to blame their hunger-induced feelings on external sources.

“This temporary lack of awareness leads us to misattribute or blame our feelings on something in the environment, rather than on the fact that we are just hungry,” she explains.

The take-home: Being emotionally aware can prevent you from becoming hangry and lashing out at those around you.

What Are the Effects of Being Hangry?

In addition to the obvious—becoming irritable, cranky, and tearing into any passerby—being hangry can cause other, more serious conditions.

According to Sirota, having low blood sugar, a side effect of being hungry, can cause people to feel lightheaded, weak, argumentative, and depressed, and it can lead to headaches and an inability to focus. While eating sweet or starchy foods can raise blood sugar levels, she says, over time, this condition can “feed into the problem, contributing to a downward spiral of repeated low blood sugar hypoglycemia incidence.”

In addition to these physical issues, being hangry can also cause us to view the world in a negative light, making us feel more upset, overwhelmed, or anxious than normal, says MacCormack. “Similarly, if we’re feeling more overwhelmed, frustrated, or upset—and we’re not aware in that moment that hunger is ‘biasing’ us… we may be more likely to act on those feelings—to be rude, hurtful, or lash out.”

The result: We could hurt and damage our relationships with friends, family members or colleagues.

Can Being Hangry Affect Us Negatively in the Long-Term?

Possibly, says MacCormack. “Although I don’t think feeling hangry from time to time can have long term physical effects… It’s possible that the anger or stress we experience when hangry, if we experience them every day for many years, could have downstream health consequences.”

Is There a Cure for Being Hangry?

Feed yourself! “The treatment for preventing hangriness involves consuming balanced meals (and perhaps snacks, too) well spaced throughout the day,” suggests Sirota.

Laura Hartung, MA, RD, LDN, CPT, echoes that sentiment: “Eat at least two to three meals per day with one to three snacks in between to keep your blood sugar stable. Don’t go more than four hours without eating.”

And don’t reach for junk foods—they can raise your blood sugar rapidly, causing it to crash shortly after and make you crave even more high-calorie, high-sugar treats, Hartung says.

Can I Prevent That Hangry Feeling?

“Prepare or despair,” Hartung warns. “Planning your meals and snacks in advance is the key to avoiding going down the hangry path.” Practicing intuitive eating (munching on what you want when your body tells you it’s hungry) could also help you avoid becoming hangry and teach you to be more mindful of what you’re putting in your body and when. (See our post Intuitive Eating: A Healthy and Effective Way to Lose Weight.)

Another tip: Become emotionally aware. “If you can catch yourself becoming hangry—your awareness may be enough to put you back in the driver seat and help you avoid acting on that hunger,” says MacCormack. Meditate, get a good night’s sleep, try a few stress-relief strategies, and exercise regularly to promote relaxation. If anger is an issue, read our post Anger Management: 15 Ways to Tame Your Temper. Still struggling emotionally? Seek help from a professional.

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First, realize that extreme fatigue may be a symptom of a medical condition. A consultation with your physician can help you determine whether there’s a medical reason for your tiredness.

Second, the reason for your low energy may have more to do with shortcomings in your diet—you may not be getting enough of a certain nutrient. Let’s take a look at which vitamins give you energy and which foods offer them naturally.

Vitamins That Give You Energy: The Four Bs and Iron

Key vitamins that boost energy include these four Bs: B1, B2, B6, and B12, each of them important in the metabolism of your cells and the formation of red blood cells. They play a part in how your body processes the nutrients you eat and converts them into energy.

B12 is especially important. A diet that’s too light in B12 foods can result in noticeable fatigue and mood changes. Long-term B12 deficiency can contribute to permanent nerve damage.

We get B12 naturally from poultry, pork, beef, seafood, and dairy products. Leafy green vegetables, peas, lentils, and beans also have B12 along with other B vitamins, as do whole grains. You’ve also noticed, no doubt, a wide range of breakfast cereals boasting that they’re fortified with vitamin B12.

These types of foods also contribute iron, a critical nutrient that aids your body in getting oxygen through the bloodstream. Fatigue often follows insufficient oxygenation. An iron deficiency may mean that fewer blood cells are being made, resulting in anemia. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon; estimates show that around 25 percent of the world’s population is anemic.

To get more iron, make sure your diet has the foods mentioned above—particularly the “caveman diet” staples of meat and poultry—along with the following:

• Pumpkins seeds, which also supply vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, and zinc.
• Quinoa, a gluten-free food that’s also rich in magnesium, manganese, folate, and copper.
• And, yes, dark chocolate, which supplies copper and magnesium as well.

Low Energy? Diet Tweaks Will Help

If you’re considering B-vitamin supplements or iron supplements to help you meet your daily needs, your physician or nutritionist may be able to help you avoid the cost of regular vitamins via simple diet changes. Your diet is the easiest place to start in getting the vitamins that give you energy.

A 2013 study by Annals of Internal Medicine delivered a strong message about supplements. Titled “Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements,” it steered consumers away from OTC vitamins. Within the study was this summary: “Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified, and they should be avoided.”

At the time, a Gallup poll showed that 50 percent of Americans were regularly taking a multivitamin or specific type of vitamin or mineral supplement, and that 48 percent were not.

Who’s most likely to be on a vitamin regimen? Older Americans. Some 68 percent of senior citizens (age 65 and above) take vitamin supplements, according to Gallup. And women are more likely to take vitamins or mineral supplements regularly than men, 54 percent vs. 46 percent.

The money spent on vitamin and mineral supplements add up to more than $21 billion spent annually in America. Before contributing to that expense, however, realize that vitamins that give you energy can be found within your own grocery shopping habits and weekly menus. (See also our sidebar below.)

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“If you’re tired and fatigued, look for the underlying cause instead of going for caffeine or supplements,” says registered dietitian Nancee Jaffe, UCLA Digestive Health and Nutrition Clinic.

Figuring out what depletes your energy can be very obvious, or it can take some investigation. Jaffe recommends the following questions as a guide to help you determine your particular cause of fatigue:

1. Am I getting seven-plus productive hours of restful sleep per night?
2. How is my stress level on a scale of 1 to 10?
3. Am I making enough time in my life for play, family, friends, enjoyment?
4. How is my diet quality?
5. It’s a simple thing, but do you normally stay well-hydrated?

Let’s take a closer look at ways to make sure we can answer “yes” to the five questions above.

1. Choose foods that provide a natural energy boost

What you eat can make a huge difference between feeling energetic and feeling fatigued. An energy-boosting diet includes a balance of vegetables, fruits, proteins, and complex carbohydrates. If you’re just nibbling on dry toast in the morning or eating mainly convenience or fast foods during the day, those choices deplete energy.

For example, heavy foods—such as pasta slathered with cream sauce and meatballs—can be difficult to digest, causing you to feel sluggish. Fried and convenient foods are typically highly processed and contain a lot of fat, sugar, and salt. Those foods lack nutrition, and hence deplete rather than boost energy.

If you’re not very hungry during meal times, try eating smaller meals throughout the day to keep your energy steady. Nutritious high-energy snacks include those that have both protein and fiber. Examples: carrots, string cheese, sugar-free yogurt topped with berries, or a banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter. (See also our post “Natural Energy Boosters: Keep These Snacks Close By.”)

Be sure to vary the foods you eat. If you always eat the same foods, you won’t nourish your body properly. A poor diet leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which can cause a cascade of health issues.

2. Avoid dehydration

Not getting enough fluids is a common cause of fatigue for seniors. Water is an ideal hydration choice for an energy boost, though unsweetened fruit teas, juices, and milks also provide appropriate hydration. Foods with high-water content—watermelon, celery, and citrus fruits, for example—also help. Avoid such beverages as soda, energy drinks, and coffee, all of which cause dehydration. The same is true of alcohol.

While the rule of thumb has been to drink 64 ounces of water per day (eight 8-ounce glasses), it really does depend on your body size, how much you perspire, and where you live. People who live in hot climates may need more water than those in colder climates.

3. Reduce stress levels

What else can rob your energy? Bottled-up anger, irritation, and even depression. It’s important to take time out to notice how you feel. Some people aren’t aware they’re stressed until they stop and mentally scan their bodies to check for tension. A tense jaw and elevated shoulders are common places for holding stress.

Stress drains energy and is harmful to overall health. Chronic stress leads to excess inflammation. Rampant inflammation contributes to a number of health problems including the common cold, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

To reduce stress and increase your chances of getting an energy boost, find ways to relax your mind. For some people, mindfulness meditation works well. There are numerous free online resources in this area, among them UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center website. Prayer can be another way to calm your mind.

And while being physically active may seem counterintuitive if you’re lacking in energy, a brisk walk around the block or a vigorous weight-lifting session provide an energy boost by increasing circulation and endorphins—the body’s own feel-good chemicals. (See also our post “Got a Weekly Exercise Plan? Focus It on Aerobic Fitness.”)

4. Get a good night’s sleep

Lack of quality sleep can certainly drag down energy. More than half of Americans experience sleep problems, and older adults are especially prone to sleep issues. Insomnia affects almost half of adults over age 60.

Before reaching for sleeping pills, try some these simple adjustments:

• Keep your bedroom cool, quiet and dark.
• Avoid caffeine late in the day.
• Turn off all lighted screens (computers, cell phones, TVs).
• Establish a regular sleep schedule.

5. Leave time for fun

Lastly, Nancee Jaffe emphasizes the importance of assessing joy. “Ask yourself if you’re making enough time for play, family, friends,” she says. “Spending time with those you love and doing activities that bring you joy can be a significant way to boost energy and mood, too.”

For further reading, see these University Health News posts:

• “7 Natural Ways to Boost Energy”
• “High-Energy Diet: 5 Ways to Fuel Your Body”
• “Extreme Fatigue Causes: The Common Culprits”

This article was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated. 

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