Do you feel like you’ve been hit by a train some mornings?
YOU ARE doing everything in your power to get a good night’s rest.
No caffeine in the afternoon, in bed eight hours before your alarm is set to go off, the bedroom is dark and all devices are switched off.
But, for some unknown reason, you wake feeling like you haven’t slept a wink.
For many of us, the first point of call is a cup of coffee or a cold shower, hoping to shock the body in to functioning at some degree.
But once that hit wears off, and the feeling of fatigue returns, watch out world, because the wrath is back.
So what causes this daily dilemma of tiredness, despite a healthy amount of shut-eye?
We have all felt like this when waking in the morning. Picture: YouTubeSource:YouTube
Five simple steps to getting a good night's sleep
According to nutritionist and wellness coach Pete Newman, the answer is quite simple and has nothing to do with the amount of sleep you’re clocking on a daily basis.
“The most common thing causing fatigue is sensitivity to food, or in more extreme cases — food intolerance,” Mr Newman told news.com.au.
“Histamines are becoming more and more common in our diet, and they create an immune response, or an over reaction of the immune system, and that’s what is causing people to be more tired.”
Histermines are natural substances produced by the body and are also present in many of today’s foods, they are most commonly released by the body during times of stress and allergy.
“If you look at modern food supply, it’s all about preservation and storage supply — this means we are vulnerable to histermine and an immune attack,” he said.
“A lot of fatigue can be attributed to the immune system dysfunction. Histermine sensitivity is a very common thing, because of the amount of it in our foods now.
“Anything that you eat that puts a load on your immune can cause fatigue. As soon as the immune system has to get busy, you get tired. It’s struggling the whole time and the response is tiredness.”
Cured meats are full of histamines, which can play a big role on fatigue on your body. Picture: iStock.Source:istock
Foods that may have large amounts of histamine include cured meats, sauces, alcoholic beverages and even cheeses.
“If you look at modern food supply, it’s all about preservation and storage supply. We are piling these processed foods in to our body, and disregarding micronutrients, such as vitamins, fats and nutrients that we would find in unprocessed foods,” Mr Newman said.
“Your gut is the epicentre of your immune system. So its health will play a direct effect on the health of your immune system, which will have an effect on your fatigue.”
Mr Newman said our diet is “poor in vital nutrients”, with only one in 11 of us getting enough fibre, and “the consequence is fatigue”.
The lack of nutrition and essential minerals, fats and fibre leaves the body working at full capacity to cater with a busy lifestyle, but unable to operate effectively.
“When the human body is not coping, the body doesn’t have nutrition to assist,” Mr Newman said. “The body has food sensitivity to deal with, and the response is to slow down so it can recover and repair in an environment where it’s just not getting what it needs [nutrients] to do so.
“We need to focus on the micronutrient content of our food, such as fibre, natural fat and nutrients, but we continue to eat food that is the opposite to that.”
If your day at work is ending like this, maybe include a few fatigue-fighting foods in your diet. Picture: iStockSource:istock
According to nutritionist and naturopath Stephen Eddey, there are foods which can help get you over the sleepy slump, and should be included in your daily diet if tiredness is a problem:
1. UBIQUINOL
The majority of CoQ10 in our body is in the form of Ubiquinol, and is responsible for not only providing our cells with energy, fighting inflammation, maintaining healthy cholesterol and strengthening our hearts. If you’re burnt out, there’s a good chance your cells are actually depleted from Ubiquinol. You would need to eat 50 cups of spinach to meet your daily recommended intake, so it could be worth asking your health care practitioner about daily supplementation.
2. BLUEBERRIES
They’re one of the most potent antioxidant rich fruits available. What’s even better is that
freezing blueberries doesn’t destroy the beneficial anthocyanin antioxidants, which may
help with both cognitive function.
Dark chocolate and blueberries are two foods that contain ingredients to fight fatigue. Picture: iStock.Source:istock
3. DARK CHOCOLATE
Two thirds of Australians are magnesium deficient. As magnesium is responsible for controlling the release of enzymes which dictate both energy and stress, a depletion can actually create anxiety and insomnia. If you suffer low energy, eye twitches, or find yourself jolting awake with a ‘falling’ sensation as you go to sleep — these are telltale signs that you may be magnesium deficient.
4. AGED GARLIC EXTRACT
Garlic supports healthy immune function, is alkalising in the body and full of nutrients such as zinc. Recent studies have also shown that an advanced form of garlic, Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) has all the beneficial and enhanced antioxidant effects of raw garlic, but without the garlic odour.
It was developed just after WWII when German Professor, Dr Eugene Schwell was asked to restore the energy levels and overall health of the Japanese population.
He introduced the popular Japanese practice of ageing and fermentation to garlic and found it increased the garlic’s potency beyond its natural levels.
5 TEA
Green and white teas actually contain caffeine, but instead of giving you a ‘jolt’ like coffee, it is more of a sustained, slow release.
Both green and white teas have antioxidants that fight inflammation, and are often a great alternative to making the from excessive coffee.
6. TURMERIC
Turmeric contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory effects and cognitive-boosting properties. Many experts believe it’s no coincidence that India, where turmeric originates, has some of the lowest levels of cognitive decline in the world. Recent studies have also shown curcumin to have mood and energy boosting properties.
Eating healthy is not always about keeping up with fads and advertisements. MarketWatch's Priya Anand reports. Photo: Getty
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