Plenty of health tips are going viral over the internet nowadays and a lot of people seem to patronize them.
Tips such as intake of various food supplements, downloading fitness apps, or even subscribing to daily emails are just some of the most popular ones. These may promise fast and positive results, but the problem is, these health tips tend to involve a lot of effort, time and money.
While some are willing to invest physically and financially, others are struggling to find a way to stay alert and healthy without breaking the bank. Good thing there are actually health tips that promise the same without too much rigorous process.
Here are five underrated health tips to stay alert and healthy.
5 Easy Health Tips to Stay Alert All Day
1. Get enough sleep
Sleep is the most vital thing to consider when it comes to brain health. It’s what keeps you focused and alert the entire day. Recent studies claim that sleep deprivation decreases the ability of brain cells to communicate and work together.
Moreover, not getting enough sleep interferes with hormone signaling. Cortisol, a hormone that controls the conversion of protein and fats into energy, can be disrupted due to sleep deprivation, which can cause changes in your mood and alertness.
2. Keep yourself hydrated
Water is known to do wonders for our overall health and wellbeing. Aside from it being a key to weight loss and healthy skin, it is also a bigtime celebrity when it comes to physical and mental performance.
Keeping your body and most importantly your brain, hydrated, keeps you alert and free from complications. In a study involving young men and women, less fluid intake showed increased levels of anxiety, fatigue, and impairment of brain functions, which heavily affected focus, retention, and mood.
3. Go for cardio exercise
Having a full and hectic schedule has become the best excuse not to exercise every morning – and this is not good! You may find yourself already mentally and physically drained right before the lunch bell rings, and this is because of lack of exercise.
Decreased physical movement means poor circulation, which can affect cognitive performance. Therefore, start your day with simple cardio exercises. Jogging, which is a form of cardio exercise, increases blood circulation in the brain, making you awake and motivated all day.
4. Take a coffee or tea break
Caffeine is widely known as a stimulant. It can be found primarily in coffee, which is best known to boost brain function and mental alertness. No wonder it is the go-to drink of a lot of office workers and all-nighters. Aside from the fact that it fuels you with energy all day, coffee is also known to have countless health benefits.
Based on various studies, this popular drink claims to prevent degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke, metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and even cancer.
Similarly, tea is also known to contain high levels of caffeine. One of the most beneficial types of tea is green tea. It contains various antioxidants that are known to eliminate harmful free radicals in the body.
Green tea has been associated to promote longevity, cure certain types of illnesses and delay the onset of skin aging. Caffeine and the amino acid L-theanine, both found in green tea, make for a very potent substance that promotes increased brain activity.
5. Try power naps
If you are a college student or a worker in a graveyard shift, you may have probably heard about the power nap. A power nap is a short nap which claims to bring back focus and alertness. While this may sound very absurd, thinking that a way to combat feeling sleepy is to sleep, it actually works for a lot of people.
Power naps, as the name suggests, actually bring back power and drive to work. According to researchers, there are actually intended durations of power naps for various brain functions you want to achieve.
• 10-20 minutes – This power nap is known to have a quick reboot of your brain to keep you alert and energized. It falls under the state of being asleep but conscious.
• 30 minutes – This is for the people who have a hard time falling asleep. It is just like the 10-20-minute power nap with an extra 10 minutes to relax your muscles and regulate your heartbeat. However, it is advised that you do not go beyond 30 minutes as this will lead to the feeling of being groggy and disoriented.
• 90 minutes – This nap is considered a full cycle of sleep which boosts creativity, improved learning, and emotional stability. However, if you are planning to have a 90-minute power nap, make sure to do it not later than 3 o’clock in the afternoon as this may disrupt your sleeping pattern.
It is best to know which kind of brain-boosting you need for you to get the most out of your power nap.
Staying alert and healthy doesn’t need to be expensive and difficult, you just need the right amount of sleep, fluids, and a little bit of exercise. So go ahead and follow the steps above for you to maximize your overall mental performance.
Author’s Bio
Aaron Smith is a health nut, skin care aficionado, and blogger who knows that skin health doesn’t simply hinge on cosmetic solutions; it also needs preventative medical treatments against serious dermatological conditions. Thus, he recommends young people to consult the best skin care centre in Strathpine, which houses experts who can cater to minor and complex skin issues.
