When you have Multiple Sclerosis, fatigue can be your worst enemy. It can ruin outings with friends, it can make the workweek unbearable, and you may find that your other symptoms worsen when you’re feeling tired and irritable. In order to fight MS fatigue, you can take a few natural approaches to increase your energy. Eating well, sleeping right, and taking vitamin and energy-boosting supplements can give you the extra power you need to get past MS fatigue and increase your energy. The following are a few of my favorite tricks to fighting fatigue.
Manage your diet
One of the quickest and easiest ways to boost your energy is to start eating healthy foods. Focus on power greens and other brightly colored seasonal fruits and veggies. They are chock-full of natural stimulants and antioxidants that can clear out your system and boost your energy.
Boost your metabolism by eating at the same time every day. Eating your three square meals at roughly the same time every day, combined with a few healthy snacks in between, will help you maintain a healthy metabolism that will, in turn, give you the bursts of energy you need to make it through the day. No more mid-afternoon slump!
Drink a cup of tea
Yerba Mate to be precise. I’ve written about the health benefits of yerba mate before, but I really cannot stress enough how one cup – drink it hot or cold – can get you out of that mid-afternoon slump without all the negative effects of coffee or sugary, energy drinks. As a natural stimulant, Yerba Mate will improve your attention, make you feel more alert, and help diminish that sluggish feeling you deal with throughout the day. When you replace your coffee with mate, you’ll also find that you will sleep better at night. And a good night’s sleep is another way you can increase your energy!
Sleep a full 8 hours every night
The health benefits of sleep are endless. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is extremely important for your health and your energy levels, and getting a full 8 hours will give your body the time it needs to repair and rebuild damaged cells. Going to bed at the same time every night will regulate your body’s serotonin levels and stop you from getting that groggy feeling in the late morning and early afternoon hours. After a week or so of going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, you’ll find yourself more energized and alert at work, at home, and out with friends, and you may also note a significant decline in your cognitive symptoms as well.
Take a supplement
Talk with your doctor, because energy supplements can be great additions to your existing prescription. For example, MitoQ is my favorite supplement for exactly that. The natural energy boost you feel from taking MitoQ comes from the antioxidants that rush to the damaged cells in your nervous system. They help the mitochondria rebuild damaged nerves and pathways and clear out all the toxins inside of your cells.
This extra line of defense energizes your body and helps you combat the fatigue that is so common with those of us who have MS. For more information on how MitoQ can help kick-start your energy, check out this link.
Conclusion
These are just a few of my surefire ways to increase my energy with MS. Which one works best for you? I find that a healthy combination of all of them lead to more energy throughout the day, both physical and mental. When I eat and sleep right, I notice improvements in my cognitive abilities, especially memory, and combined with a warm cup of mate in the morning, I feel ready to take on the day.
MitoQ gives me that extra boost I need to feel energized and combat my other MS symptoms, like fatigue and pain. I no longer feel slow and sluggish in the middle of the afternoon, and I find that I get a better night’s sleep when I do these things to increase my energy levels during the day.