9 health experts share their best tips for all-day energy
How are you feeling? The answer is likely tired. If the constant conversations among your friends about how knackered you’re all feeling isn’t enough evidence of that, know that 44% of women often wake up feeling tired, according to an IKEA survey, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that sleepiness affects the daily activities of 81% of women.
There are plenty of reasons why we’re so exhausted, which makes finding the solution hard. Is it in what you eat or how you sleep, for instance? That’s why we asked the experts what works for them when it comes to beating fatigue and feeling fresh all day long. While there are some tirednesses that can’t be solved with a simple lifestyle shift, like parenting babies who wake up multiple times in the night, the below might just work for you.
How to have more energy
1/ Don’t force sleep
Dr Kat Lederle, sleep therapist
Allow yourself to sleep at the time that is right for you. By you, I mean your body, not what you think fits in best with your daytime obligations. Also sleep for as long as your body needs to sleep. Forget what you think you need and follow your bodies cues.
Healthy sleep helps your body to repair itself, your brain to clear itself off toxins, and restores your will power; sleep might also help us to implement our intentions. Through all this sleep provides the mind-body (I consider them as one) with the energy, motivation and resources you need to meet your daily demands/ to excel/ get things done.
2/ Fix your morning routine
Hannah Alderson, registered nutritionist, hormone specialist and author of Everything I Know About Hormones
Step outside for early morning light. That first dose of daylight sets the timer for melatonin to be released later helping you sleep deeper, recharge better and wake up with more. Melatonin is thought of as your sleep hormone, but is also involved with mitochondria by acting as an antioxidant and supporting energy production. It helps protect mitochondria from damage, enhances energy production, and promotes healthy mitochondrial function, ultimately boosting energy levels.
You can also support it by dimming lights and avoiding screens an hour before bed, eating your last meal at least two hours before sleep and increasing foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan like turkey, pumpkin seeds and oats.
3/ Change your schedule
Nancy Best, PT and founder of Ladies Who Crunch
Managing your diary around your daily energy’s peaks and troughs is a game changer. Your rhythm is unique to you. So often, people are on autopilot, booking meetings or calls from 9-5 pm without any consideration of when they feel most energised.
If you know you’re a morning person, block time to do focused tasks that require maximum brain power and then try to do the easiest things on your to-do list in the afternoon. Conversely, if you feel pretty sluggish in the mornings, start the day with tasks that don’t require your ‘best’ and leave the really important bits to the afternoon and evening, when you’re alert and in the zone. When you’re not forcing your output, your energy is far more stable.
4/ Touch grass
Nancy Trueman, yoga teacher, sound practitioner and founder of True North Studio
Earthing refers to barefoot walking on natural ground. Direct physical contact with the earth has been shown to lower cortisol levels and improve heart rate variability. In other words, grounding helps shift your body out of the ‘fight-or-flight’ stress response and into a calm, centered state — one that supports clarity, focus, and sustainable energy.
In yogic philosophy, this simple act reactivates the Muladhara (root) chakra, reconnecting you with your foundation. It cultivates a sense of safety, steadiness, and quiet strength —ideal qualities for staying energetically aligned throughout your day. Just 10 minutes on grass, sand or soil can work. If going barefoot isn’t practical, try placing your hands on living trees, rocks or moist earth.
5/ Track your menstrual cycle
Dr Andrea Maduro, medical advisor and expert for period-tracking app Flo Health
Around a week before your period starts, energy levels can feel at their lowest. This is due to a drop in your estrogen and progesterone levels which cause fatigue and a drop in serotonin, resulting in an affect on your mood and energy. Being aware of this can help you manage your diary and match your energy. This time of the month can be challenging enough in itself, so it’s important to be kind to ourselves and take it easy.
There are also some tips to better maintain energy during this phase. Outside of your conventional hacks of sleeping enough and hydrating, incorporating foods rich in magnesium, which will keep your blood sugar stable and help to combat fatigue. Whole grains, nuts, and seeds are all good examples of foods high in magnesium. Exercise is also still important, but rather than a full-on workout, take a sunny lunchtime walk or do some yoga to help raise serotonin levels and mood.
6/ Fuel your body
Miss Shazia Malik, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at The Portland Hospital (HCA UK)
If you’re a morning gym-goer or runner, make sure you eat before you exercise. While fasted exercise is praised, the female physiology responds differently to fasting and exercise than male physiology due to our hormones. Women in particular benefit from eating a small, balanced meal or snack before exercise to provide the necessary fuel for an effective workout while optimising your metabolism throughout the day. The right pre-exercise nutrition can prevent the energy crashes that many women experience mid-morning or afternoon.
7/ Take a walk
Dr Suzanne Hackenmiller, chief medical advisor at AllTrails
If you find yourself crashing in the afternoon, try getting moving after lunch. Research has shown that gentle exercise after a meal, such as a slow walk, can help control glucose spikes and aid digestion, helping keep your energy stable for longer. This benefit is maximised if the walk is within thirty minutes of completing the meal.
8/ Add vitamin D
Dr Shirin Lakhani, women’s health expert
Most people in the UK are vitamin D deficient, with many not realising the importance of having sufficient vitamin D levels. Vitamin D can really influence our energy levels throughout the day, with low levels leaving us sluggish and lethargic. I recommend taking a vitamin D supplement if you can’t get outside or live somewhere where there is little sunlight.
9/ Check your health
Dr Angela Rai, a GP at The London General Practice
Feeling tired and lacking in energy is a normal part of life, but it can also be a symptom of illness. There are numerous causes of tiredness including poor sleep, dehydration and stress, as well as medical causes like anaemia, hypothyroidism, diabetes, glandular fever, obstructive sleep apnoea and more. Always talk to your GP if you are worried about your energy levels.
Chloe Gray is a freelance writer and editor who specialises in inclusive health and fitness. A regular contributor to Women’s Health, she is currently the Acting Health Editor and has previously held roles as our Acting Memberships Editor and Senior Writer at Stylist‘s Strong Women vertical. She studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield and has a decade of experience writing on the women’s health gap, reproductive health, mental health, diet and exercise culture and the social determinants of health for newspapers and magazines including Cosmopolitan UK, the i newspaper, Glamour, Marie Claire, Men’s Health and Red. Chloe is also a fitness trainer and coach, panelist and founder of Gray’s Anatomy, a Substack about bodies. You can follow Chloe at @graychlo.
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