It often happens that our everyday routines and habits suck a lot of energy from us. There are, at least, seven of these.
First: Chronic Lack of Sleep
According to statistical data, back in 60-s, an average individual slept 8 hours, but today’s figure has tumbled to 6.5 hours. We are getting less sleep due to the accelerated pace of life which keeps us increasingly busy. To cap it all, more and more people suffer from all kinds of sleep disorders (many of which are stress related).
Many people are trying to catch up on lost sleep on weekends, lapsing into so-called “sleep bulimia” and sleeping until Saturday afternoon. It doesn’t help a lot, though. Researchers at Northwestern University (Illinois) established that sleep debt accumulated during a couple of days can’t be compensated by one good sleep. Our body is able to catch up on a one-day sleep debt. But as this debt piles up, we are becoming more frustrated, stressed out and gaining extra pounds.
Second: Slimming Diet Obsession
All diet enthusiasts can be divided into three types. First type (this is a minority type) succeeds in losing weight through a diet. The second type fails and never returns to dieting again. The third type grows obsessed about hopping from one diet to another or starts the same diet over and over again.
It is this third group that falls into risk category. They always feel guilty and frustrated because of their own inability to complete a diet program. This sense of guilt pushes them to take on even more strict plans, resulting in suffering from constant hunger (and often – from the lack of essential nutrients). They end up giving it up. Maybe it would sound commonplace but we have to say it again:
Third: Repetitive Pains
Some people who suffer from repetitive pains put off seeing a doctor for years, thinking like, “It hurt less today, maybe it’ll go away?” Studies show that people suffering from depression, post-traumatic syndrome and repetitive pains share one common thing. It is called disadaptation syndrome, meaning weakness in muscles, lower appetite and libido, decreased physical activity, sleep disorders and poor concentration abilities. The patient always feels run down and exhausted, which strongly deteriorates the quality of life.
Fourth: Drinking Tons of Coffee
One cup of coffee is invigorating while ten cups can do the opposite. Obviously, coffee is addictive and as you drink more you will need more of it to feel invigorated, but there is also the point where you can’t increase your consumption anymore. Besides, the consumption of caffeinated beverages is dehydrating. It makes sense to drink more water throughout the day if you can’t kick the habit of drinking a lot of coffee. However, drinking plenty of water won’t hurt anyone. Dietitians encourage us to drink eight glasses of water every day.
Fifth: Regular Consumption of Energetic Drinks
Energetic drinks are not good to make them your regular beverage. By taking this pretty powerful stimulant, we get a huge dose of caffeine, taurin and often ginseng. Our body needs some time to recover and rest after this kind of stimulation. Energetic drinks are especially hard on the liver, nervous system, heart and blood vessels.
Sixth: Lack of Fresh Air
The lack of fresh air as we spend a lot of time indoors slows down metabolism and leads to an increased weariness. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to walk and get some fresh air after work. These people have to find some other ways. First, there are special oxygen cocktails available and second, you can try and change your technique of breathing. Throughout the day we breathe shallowly. It would be great to give, at least, a few minutes every day to a brief breathing session, taking slow, deep breaths, or to try some relaxing breathing technique.
Seventh: Decreased Physical Activity
Sedentary lifestyle doesn’t mean you conserve energy. Instead, your muscles lose their tonus without exercising, so you lose your energy, too. What’s more, apart from cutting the risk of heart diseases and depression, physical activity promotes longer lifespan. Researchers from the University of South Carolina have been observing a group of 2 600 seniors over 12 years. They found that exercising affects lifespan even stronger than normal BMI. In simple terms, whatever your weight is, if you are physically active, you will live longer.
Source of the image: flickr.com/photos/obo-bobolina.
