Let's face it; mornings can really suck when you start them on empty! You don't have to live your life wanting to go back to bed—check out these ways to boost energy levels.

Feeling like your alarm clock is your ball and chain? If you can’t control the urge to smash that snooze button, you’re in good company. Only one in seven Americans say that they wake up well-rested every morning!

What's crazy is that 45% of Americans who sleep seven or eight hours a night still report feeling tired or fatigued during the day! But if (some) of us are “technically” getting enough rest, why are so many people still waking up tired?

Could it be the way we live?

Think about it: Modern life takes a lot out of the average person, even if you handle stress fine. An always-on work culture means eating worse, neglecting exercise, and watching screens in bed because it’s the only relaxing time we get.

All of those little bad habits, vices, and shortcuts catch up eventually, and an exhausting lifestyle can keep you exhausted day in and day out.

Let’s talk about how to boost energy levels holistically:

The problem with using vices for energy

Drinking an XL iced coffee or eating a sugary granola bar for a quick jolt seems like a fine short-term strategy. But in the long run, it’s not going to help you feel energized. Why not?

Well, for starters:

• Coffeecan be great for your energy for a couple of hours, and it's okay for most people in modest amounts, but a caffeine crash can be intense! Even though it’s pretty much socially acceptable to drink coffee all day every day,caffeine is addictive, and going without it suddenly can lead to headaches and trouble concentrating.
• Energy drinkscombine multiple stimulating agents, so it’s easy to overdo it and feel worse—bad enough to getlessdone. Plus, caffeine is the main energy-boosting ingredient despite the mix, and many of these beverages are packed with sugar. Speaking of which …
• Sugargives you a brief rush, but when high blood sugar suddenly crashes, you’ll feel way more tired than before. Plus,relying on sugardaily can be bad for your health in numerous ways. And yes,sugar CAN be addicting!
• Sodamixes caffeine (most of the time) with sugar (high-fructose corn syrup), which can spike and crash your blood sugarwhilegetting back into that caffeine dependency.
• Nicotineis even more stimulating than coffee, but itsaddictive propertiesare well-documented, as well as the severely harmful impacts of smoking it. But however one takes nicotine (smoking, vaping, patches, gum, etc.), it has other potential adverse effects, such as "irregular and disturbed sleep,” an “increased clotting tendency,” and even “atherosclerosis, in which plaque forms on the artery wall.” Thesuperaddictive quality of nicotine also means that after a while, you feel exhausted unless you use it.

See a thread that ties them all together? The most common stimulating vices cause you to crash when you don’t have them. When you rely on them to get yourself up and going in the morning, it gets super hard (or impossible) to do so once they aren’t around.

“So what?” you may wonder. “I can drink Coke (or vape nicotine, or drink coffee) every morning, so why would I worry about crashing?”

Your health might not let you keep doing that forever. So, if you value long-term wellness and energy solutions, you might want to try new ways to hype yourself up and out of bed!

Lifestyle affects energy

Overcoming a never-ending slump involves taking a hard look at the ways we treat our bodies and then doing something about it. After all, you don’t get exhausted and fatigued for no reason. It’s always the body trying to tell us something’s not working!

Think of your energy as a limited resource. You start each day with a set amount of it, but how much is in the tank depends on how well you’re listening to your body.

Here are some ways to boost energy levels with healthy lifestyle changes:

• Sleep hygiene
• Stress management
• Routine exercise
• Clean living
• Ideal nutrition
• Social support

You have control over your lifestyle

If life has you feeling sluggish, take a good hard look at what needs work. Because you do have the power to change it, and it can have a serious impact on natural energy levels!

If you’re sleeping five hours a night, eating Chipotle four times a week (with double guac), and dealing with rising stress levels by stomping them back down like you’re making wine in Tuscany, maybe that’s the reason you’re struggling!

No clue where to start with this “healthy lifestyle” crap? These are some possible steps:

1. Practicing sleep hygiene

What’s your sleep palace like? Try improving sleep hygiene (and get better ZZZs, which means more energy in the morning) by doing the following:

• Avoiding screens at night, as the blue lightsuppresses melatonin production(which hurts sleep).
• Go to bed at the same time every nightand wake up at the same time each morning to reinforce the circadian rhythm.
• Don't overeat or drink alcohol before bed,as those can affect the quality of sleep.
• Keep the bedroom coldand dress in warm, loose clothes.

2. Managing stress

Stress can make anyone feel fatigued, even when they get great sleep. Everyone deals with stress differently but consider:

• Trying therapy or counseling,where you can learn valuable coping skills
• Picking a physical activity(like yoga or running) as a stress outlet
• Allowing yourself to feel your feelingsin a safe place (e.g., home) instead of suppressing them
• Talking to your doctor,in case your stress leads to anxiety or other problems

3. Moving that body is a way to boost energy levels

Exercising gets the heart pumping, and that, in turn, can make you feel pretty energetic! It doesn’t matter what exercise you choose as long as you pick something you’ll stick to. If you hate running, maybe you should try pilates, joining a soccer league, or simply taking a fast walk!

4. Nourishing your body

You are what you eat, so make a point of choosing foods that are high in energy and nutrition. Avoid processed and fast foods in favor of choices like lean proteins, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

And while you’re at it, remember that dehydration can cause sluggishness, so make sure to down at least 3.7 liters (1 gallon) of water if you’re male or 2.7 liters if you’re female.

5. Reaching out

Did you know that reaching out to a loved one gives the brain a quick dose of oxytocin? It doesn’t matter if you’re giving a just-because gift, a heartfelt compliment, or simply asking how they’re doing (and really listening).

Your brain releases this feel-good chemical during meaningful social interactions.

According to a 2013 review, “in healthy humans, effects of oxytocin administration on stress reactivity include decreases in subjective stress ratings.”

Feel your best and boost energy levels with some lifestyle changes. And perhaps try adding a little Sunday Scaries to the toolbox

We get it—turning a whole lifestyle upside down can be hard to stick to, even if you know that the long-term energy benefits are totally worth it. Need to motivate and get the ball rolling?

A little CBD may help with the excessive worry, overwhelm, and agitation that makes you reach for the phone at night, or eat a bunch of fast food because, "Hey, I'm stressed, and I deserve it."

The bottom line: Being calmer and more collected makes it easier to focus on making smart life changes.

Our broad-spectrum CBD oil (and famous Sunday Scaries original gummies and Vegan AF gummies!) can help you get your chill on. And they may just be the missing piece of your lifestyle-change puzzle. If you subscribe to a regular batch of CBD goodies, you’ll get 20% off a monthly shipment!