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Fight Fatigue By Staying Hydrated - AskMen © Getty Images; iStockphoto

Fight Fatigue By Staying Hydrated

Simple Hacks To Help You Fight Holiday Fatigue Henry Malden
December 25, 2015


Injured arm - what exercise can I do?

Between overdoing it at the office party and sprinting around for last minute gifts, the holiday season can leave you feeling physically and mentally exhausted. According to the Mayo Clinic, fighting fatigue is something we all go through from time to time. And the holiday season is prime time for feeling drained. If sticking to a healthy sleep routine is not realistic at this time of the year, try implementing these simple lifestyle changes.

Limit Your Alcohol Intake Getty Images, iStockphoto

We get it, you might be be enjoying a few more cocktails than usual over the holidays. But if you are trying to overcome fatigue, be cautious of your alcohol consumption. According to the Harvard Medical School, alcohol raises your body’s level of epinephrine —a stress hormone that stimulates the body— for several hours after downing a nightcap. The result is less than a restful night of sleep. And the more you drink, the more pronounced these effects may be. Try sticking with the one to two drinks per day recommendation from the US Dietary Guidelines.

Alcohol can also contribute to dehydration. It has a diuretic effect, a fancy way of saying alcohol makes you pee more often, which means you may be losing more water than you take in. If you’re getting a little too festive these days, consider cutting back on the booze and paying attention to your hydration levels.

And that brings us to our next point.

Drink Water All Day Long Masaaki Komori

Water makes up about 60 percent of your body weight and is essential to maintaining your body's basic functions. One of the many great things water does is flush toxins and waste away through the kidneys and deliver nutrients to your cells, so staying hydrated makes sense.

Dehydration isn’t just for people stranded in the desert. The Mayo Clinic points out your body is constantly losing water through sweating, visits to the bathroom or even breathing. With all the running around and shopping for presents, you may forget to drink water and become a sweaty, dehydrated mess. So when your body loses water during this time, remember that it needs to be replaced.

According to the Institute of Medicine, daily water intake varies from person to person depending on activity level, physical condition and climate. As an approximate guide, aim for eight to ten 8-ounce glasses per day. More importantly, pay attention to how you feel. Drink enough water so that you don’t feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or light yellow.

Avoid Caffeinated Drinks It’s almost a matter of basic physics: What goes up must come down. While caffeine gives you an initial energy boost, it could lead you to feel more tired later in the day, especially if you overdo it. While there are no tried-and-true guidelines for how much caffeine to take in, the National Institutes of Health recommend keeping it to no more than 400mg per day.

Furthermore, drinking caffeinated beverages later in the day may interfere with sleep, leaving you fighting fatigue the next day. While it’s tempting to grab a cup of joe in the afternoon, consider drinking water instead. Fatigue is an early symptom of dehydration and drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated.

Don’t get down about feeling down. It’s not unusual to feel tired or even exhausted when the holidays roll around. If it starts to set in before New Year’s arrives, pay attention to how you feel and fight fatigue with some simple lifestyle changes.
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