No caffeine after 3 PM (5 hr half-life, 25% remain at 1 AM), no water/drinks after 8 PM, going to bed at a regular time, and of course a mix of cardio/resistance exercise (see CDC for guidance).
Aside from that the only other thing I've found helpful is, counter-intuitively, skipping meals. First few days your body remembers that you're "meant" to eat then (i.e. hunger), but after that you get a strange energy boost instead. So if I skip breakfast/lunch I often find myself with MORE energy mid-afternoon, even if you'd expect less. I do get a little hangry/irritable at dinner time however.
Creatine is excellent. It takes a few weeks (maybe ~1 if you “front load”) to accumulate but once it does you’ll notice a difference if you’re looking for it.
It’s multiple times now that I’ve stopped taking it, felt fine for a bit and then started feeling sucky… I don’t eat a lot of red meat so I think I just default to creatine deficiency. Then I remember to start taking it again and feel better.
I think it’s the closest thing to a miracle drug we have. It improves cognition (in those that are deficient) as well. Cognition, energy, strength… just drink enough water to counteract the increased load on your kidneys and it’s wonderful. Unlike many other supplements you’ll see mentioned, it’s something naturally part of our diets. It’s really more like a vitamin than anything. Vegetarians and vegans in particular are likely to be deficient.
Can confirm, never felt more tired day to day than when I was drinking two cups of coffee per day. Stopped 2 years ago and never looked back. The first 30 days are the worst, but after that, a glass of water wakes me up just as effectively.
Part of being feeling tired in the morning can actually be caffeine withdrawal symptoms. You start off in a low and need your fix to get back to normal. Once you get off of it, that normal becomes your normal again.
I was 2-5 cups/day drinker for years. I tapered down my intake over a month, but the first couple weeks of no caffeine was hard. I'd guess it took months before I really felt free.
I drink decaf most days now. When I have the occasional cup of real coffee ( 4 times a year), it gives me a good boost.
For me, my sleep quality noticeably improved ober night after I stopped all caffeine. I had headaches for about 2 days, then slept the best I had in years. I wasn't a big coffee drinker. 2 cups with breakfast, maybe a black tea or 2 in the day, nothing after about 4pm. But it was obviously still in my system at night.
There's no definitive study that I'm aware of, but anecdotally many people have trouble getting to sleep if they consume caffeine too late in the day, and/or struggle to get out of bed before regularly consuming caffeine in the morning.
Cutting out carbs completely. It's crazy how it knocks me out at 2/3PM like clockwork until I discovered this. Now my energy is stable through the day, and I sleep much better, and get up at 5:30am to job. It's nuts right? But try it, no carbs.
Carnivore diet, it has stabilized my energy trough out the day. It sucked at first, specially since I have a bad history with sugars and carbs (lost over 55kg a few years ago).
Also, try to find things you like to do, this is crucial.
Moderate amount of excercise every day, nothing crazy but 60min a day followed with stretching.
Cardio in the mornings. I used to work out mainly at night, and I still lift in the afternoons, but going on a jog or bike ride right after getting up is amazing. No matter how shitty it is outside or how much I do not want to drag myself out of bed, being outside and active for 30-ish minutes at the start of the day makes a huge difference.
Just so you're aware, as I stopped taking Alpha GPC because of this, but Alpha GPC has been possibly implicated in adverse cardiovascular events.
"Recently, concerns have been raised about the potential of alpha-GPC to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) because it serves as a substrate for the synthesis of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) in the gut, and TMAO is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in people with CVD and in mechanistic studies.
A 2021 cohort study of more than 12 million participants (at least 50 years old), including 108,877 alpha-GPC users, reported that alpha-GPC use for at least 12 months was associated with an increased risk of stroke over 10 years. Moreover, a 2021 mouse study found that alpha-GPC supplementation promoted atherosclerosis.
However, the currently available evidence is preliminary in nature, so randomized controlled trials and large cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings."
I am aware of this. I am doing my blood test every 3 months where i check TMAO levels too.
I managed to get the levels back to my base line with garlic extract. I think Andrew Huberman mentioned it somewhere.
Also important, I don’t take Alpha GPC every day. Maybe 3 to 4 days a week
Attending a partial hospitalization program (PHP/IOP) and improving my ability to self-reflect + resolve emotional trauma in a group therapy environment. It has helped tremendously with my energy levels that were previously at an all time low, but I still have more to go
This isn't specifically commenting about your, but I love how wildly different these comments are. The one currently below you said they improved when they switched to a plant-based diet.
Everyone is different, but I just thought it was funny to see how different everyone is.
I'd imagine both diets cut out bad things while prioritizing either mostly meat or mostly plants. E.g you go from a poor, unplanned diet to an improved, focused diet and it will work well.
I am eating lots of plants along with meat, but I would say my 75% calories now come from meat. I dont have stomach acidity (i used to have it since grade 4), frequent migraines, IBS. I have increased mental clarity, better focus, better sleep.
I would attribute most of these changes to grains/gluten reduction than meat adoption.
Taking a lunch break. I used to work through lunch at my desk and then found that my focus and energy would really crash around 2-3. I have found that even taking a 30 minute break away from my desk keeps my energy high for the rest of the day.
Really improved my energy. I have done this for years- on and off. During the "on" periods, there is significant and noticeable improvement in energy throughout the day.
Aside from that the only other thing I've found helpful is, counter-intuitively, skipping meals. First few days your body remembers that you're "meant" to eat then (i.e. hunger), but after that you get a strange energy boost instead. So if I skip breakfast/lunch I often find myself with MORE energy mid-afternoon, even if you'd expect less. I do get a little hangry/irritable at dinner time however.