YOUR A TO Z GUIDE TO HAVING MORE ENERGY

A drained battery can mess with your day-to-day and make it harder to keep up with your healthy habits. Here's how to hack your energy levels to stay fully charged.

- KATE ROCKWOOD

Sound like you? If it doesn't-well, you're pretty normal. Roughly one in five adults worldwide experiences recurring fatigue for up to six months though they have no underlying condition that's causing it, revealed a 2023 meta-analysis of studies on energy levels.

Luckily, you have a lot of control over how much get-up-and-go you have. Lifestyle factors play a major role in whether we're dragging or filled with zip, so a tweak here and there can transform your energy profile while also benefiting your overall health.

If nothing seems to improve your feelings of lethargy, it's probably time to speak to a physician to make sure no underlying issues are to blame. "We all have times when we experience fatigue or low energy," explains Tochi Iroku-Malize, M.D., senior vice president and professor and chair of family medicine at Northwell Health. "However, it's usually temporary and due to overexertion or not getting enough rest. If fatigue persists or significantly impacts your daily life, it's important to get evaluated." That's because ongoing lethargy can be a symptom of conditions such as heart issues, sleep apnea, and chronic fatigue syndrome, to name a few common ones.

Here's an entire alphabet of expert backed strategies for avoiding that drained feeling and staying charged and ready to meet whatever comes at you.

A. Acupuncture.

This staple of Traditional Chinese Medicine is thought to stimulate the nervous system; placing needles strategically on the body could help increase energy levels. For instance, some research suggests that in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis), stacking acupuncture on top of standard treatments may help ease exhaustion and increase verve.

B. Bedtime.