Must. Stay. Awake. Yes, it’s the 3 o’clock mantra. And who hasn’t mumbled it while fighting off midday yawns and drooping eyes?
You don’t believe me? just wait and see until your watch up to 3 o’clock 
Just like what i had weeks ago, i was very sleepy at that time, but when i tried to sleep, my brain still working cuz of the deadline. And i was actually fatigue from job and flagging energy seem to be epidemics lately. 
But don’t worry, for those who had a same symptoms as me instead of moping, you can pump up your mojo with these strategies from experts in sleep, fitness, nutrition, psychology, and alternative medicine. Hope it works good for y’all.
Get a good night sleep
Most of us know that 8 hours of sleep per night is optimal. But what many people don’t know is that the actual time you fall asleep is important too. Sleeping from 1 am to 9 am is not though to be as restorative as sleeping from 10 pm to 6 am.
The reason why is because hormone secretion, body temperature, digestion, and other important restorative processes follow a 24-hour cycle linked to natural light exposure. The later in the evening we fall asleep and the later in the morning we wake up, the more out-of-sync our cycle becomes. If you have ever gone to bed at 3 am and woken up the next morning at 11 am, you may have noticed that you feel worn down and not fully “with it”.
Growth hormone is one such restorative hormone. Eighty percent of growth hormone, which is needed for lean muscle, optimum immune function, and strong skin, is secreted during sleep between the hours of 11 pm and 1 am.
Try to go to bed before 10 pm. It may be difficult to get used to getting to bed at an early time, especially if you work late or if night-time is your only downtime and you like to watch late-night television. But you’ll be rewarded with increased energy.
Eliminate Energy-Sappers From Your Diet
- Not enough alkaline-forming foods in your diet – Foods that are alkaline-forming include figs, molasses, green leafy vegetables, almonds, beets, dates, celery, canteloupe, and parsley (this page has a list of alkaline vs. acid foods and explains the concept of alkaline- and acid-forming foods).In addition to eating these foods, taking 1 teaspoon of a greens powder every morning mixed into juice or a smoothie can also raise energy.
- Excess sugar – Excess sugar causes fluctuations in blood sugar, which can result in plummeting energy levels. Try to decrease all forms of refined sugar. Watch out for low-fat foods — many have forms of sugar, such as high-fructose corn syrup, added to make the food more palatable.
- Insufficent protein – With high-protein, low-carb diets being so popular, it’s hard to believe it but insufficient protein is a common reason for fatigue. Pack some almonds and nuts for a quick and convenient protein snack.
- Too much coffee – Although coffee initially raises stress hormones and gives a rush of energy, consuming several cups or more of coffee per day can promote burnout.
- Not enough water – One of the most common reasons for low energy is not drinking enough water.
Take 20 minutes every day just for you
Create a daily ritual where you take 20 to 30 minutes for yourself just relaxing and doing nothing (no watching tv or surfing the net). Pick up a book, listen to music, meditate, have a cup of tea, or try a new yoga pose.
Consider a stress-formula multivitamin
People who are under chronic stress require more B vitamins. A stress formula multivitamin often has more B vitamins than standard multis. B-50 B supplements are also available as a supplement to a standard multivitamin. The B-2 in a B complex can turn urine a bright yellow color.
See the light
Get the right light, and you’ll have lots more energy. But that can be a challenge, given the poorly-lit offices we sit in and the scant doses of daily sunlight (which contains brain-activating short-wavelength blue light) we get. “Our circadian rhythms are more sensitive to blue light than any other kind,” says Mariana Figueiro, assistant professor at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.
To take advantage of that energizing blue boost, lift your shades the minute you get up or take a 30-minute walk first thing in the morning. And go outside as often as you can during the day (especially right before you need to be extra-alert).
Get pumped with protein
Unless you plan to run a marathon, carbo-loading for energy is out. Instead, eat protein to increase mental alertness and energy, says Debra Hollon, MS, RD, a clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Protein contains tyrosine, an amino acid that elevates the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. It increases satiety, too. And when you feel fuller, you’re not apt to overdo the breads and sweets that induce rollercoaster highs and lows.
Eat plant- and animal-based protein throughout the day—an egg or high-protein cereal for breakfast, 10 almonds midmorning, a cup of low-sugar yogurt in the afternoon—and your stamina should stabilize.
Lend a hand
Research shows that you get a “helper’s high,” a rush of endorphins that lasts for hours, when you volunteer, says Kimberly Kingsley, author of The Energy Cure: How to Recharge Your Life 30 Seconds at a Time. You don’t have to look far to help out, she says. “There may be a single mom in your family who needs a babysitter or a lonely neighbor who’d love to chat.”
Breathe hard—more often
That postworkout rush of energy you feel is well-documented: movement sends oxygen through the bloodstream to invigorate cells. That’s why Gerald K. Endress, fitness director at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., suggests that you break up your workouts to maximize your oxygen intake.
Lift weights, roll out the exercise ball, or do five minutes of yoga in the morning. Climb a few flights of stairs at lunch and jog after dinner. To add an extra kick to your workout, breathe deeply for your first one or two minutes of cardio, Endress says: Inhale from your belly; then breathe out slowly, imagining you’re pulling your navel toward your spine.
Bag a new brew
Boost your energy with white tea, which has a delicate flavor that requires little sweetening. “Of all the teas, white tea goes through the least processing,” says Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, a professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona in Tucson and a leading researcher on the benefits of tea. As a result, white tea has the highest concentration of L-theanine, an amino acid that, according to recent research, stimulates alpha brain waves to boost alertness while producing a calming effect. And because a cup of white tea contains less caffeine (15 milligrams) than other teas (up to 50 mg) and coffee (120 mg), it’s more hydrating, another key for sustaining energy.
Tackle the blahs in bursts
Shake up your routine for 15 minutes at a time to get an energy boost. Change your walking route, sample a new food, garden for a few minutes, or pick up a pencil and draw. “It’s all about taking baby steps to replenish yourself,” Orloff says.
Start small; tackling a really big new project may just pile on more stress. And think of your minitask as a chance to renew, not another thing on your to-do list.
Get hands-on help
Could your energy be blocked? Hands-on therapies like acupuncture and Reiki (pronounced ray-key), a Japanese massage technique, may help, says Eva Selhub, MD, senior staff physician at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Chestnut Hill, Mass. “These therapies may remove the blocks that create emotional and physical problems in our bodies,” she says. “When the resistance is gone, energy flows.” In fact, a recent British study published in New Scientist says acupuncture can relieve fatigue in cancer patients.
Don’t have time for a 30-plus-minute session? Try self-acupressure. According to a recent finding by Richard E. Harris, PhD, research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical Center’s Department of Internal Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan, there’s a positive correlation between acupressure and increased alertness. His trick: Rub the muscle between your thumb and your forefinger for three to five minutes; you should feel a little ache there and then an overall sense of ahh.
Take a tech-free break
Being at the mercy of electronic devices keeps us in “fight-or-flight mode,” Kingsley says. You get an adrenaline zap every time the cell phone rings or an e-mail comes in. Over time, living off adrenaline exhausts you. Cell phones, in particular, put increased stress on women, research shows.
Even though both men and women say that their cell phones allow job worries to affect their home lives, only women experience the opposite effect—the spillover of home concerns into work. The solution: “Set boundaries at work and home,” Kingsley suggests, “so your attention isn’t always divided.” Give yourself at least an hour a day when you completely unplug from electronic devices. That chance to check in and connect with yourself will re-energize you, she says.
Clean up your sleep
The buzzword in sleep science these days is “sleep hygiene,” and it’s about more than clean sheets—it helps you create an atmosphere that’s restful, so you’ll sleep well and wake up energized without the need for sleeping pills, Campbell says.
Sleep hygiene usually includes three areas: fully darkening your bedroom (turn your alarm clock away from you if the display gives off too much light), regulating room temperature to a moderate coolness (too hot or too cold, and you’ll wake up), and using white noise (a fan or quiet music) to help induce sleepiness.
