What Are the Best Energy Supplements?

Everything you do in life requires energy on the cellular level. To get through the day at 100%, you need a balance of proper hydration, nutrition, and rest, but there’s more to the equation than just those big three components.

Adding in supplements is one of the best ways to keep your energy levels up all day long, especially when you pair those supplements with high-quality sleep, nourishing food, and plenty of water.

In this post, we’ll cover some of our favorite supplements for boosting energy levels and staying focused and motivated throughout the day.

What Causes Low Energy?

There are plenty of factors that can lead to lower-than-average energy levels, and most of them come down to bad habits in terms of diet, hydration, sleep, fitness, and other lifestyle factors.

Everyone makes choices on a regular basis that can lead to excessive tiredness, even the people that think of themselves as the healthiest. If you are experiencing chronic fatigue, the first step to take is to look critically at your own daily patterns and habits.

Some lifestyle patterns that may contribute to increased levels of fatigue and lower energy levels can include:

• Not enough, sleep: High-quality sleep is essential for optimal energy levels during the day. The quality of your sleep is more important than the quantity – if you sleep too much, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting the rest that your body needs. What matters most is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which recharges your body and brain.
  
• Too much, or not enough, physical activity and exercise: It might sound backwards, but exercising regularly can keep you energized – even though you might expect it to tire you out. However, overexerting yourself and exhausting your muscles is never a good idea, either. You may feel lethargic if you neglect physical fitness – or if you’re spending too much time in the gym and not resting enough.
  
• Alcohol or drug use: Excessive use of substances is a known cause of fatigue and exhaustion, in large part due to the sedating effects of drinking and smoking. There’s room in a healthy lifestyle for moderate substance use, but the key word is “moderate.”
  
• Jet lag: If you’re constantly traveling, your body’s internal clock can quickly get thrown off balance, leaving you feeling constantly worn out and run down. If that sounds like you, the supplements that we’ll cover in the paragraphs below might be just what you need.
  
• Unhealthy eating: Your diet plays a critical role in how energized you feel on a day-to-day basis. There’s a direct correlation between getting the nutrients you need and your ability to perform physically and mentally. Without enough high-quality macronutrients and micronutrients, you’re likely to suffer from nutrient deficiencies and see your energy levels plummeting.

Conditions that can cause fatigue include:

In addition to these factors, there are many underlying conditions that can lead to chronic fatigue. These conditions can manifest subtly at first, but they can cause major health problems in the long run if they aren’t addressed effectively.

• Depression: If you’re feeling depressed, one of the symptoms you may experience on a daily basis is physical and mental exhaustion. Dealing with depression is a struggle, but there are numerous treatment options to explore such as medication and therapy. The sooner you start getting treatment, the sooner your energy levels may improve.
  
• Excessive stress and anxiety: Burnout is very real, and one of its telltale symptoms is exhaustion. If you’re constantly stressed and anxious, you may be heading for a major energy crash. It’s time to make a major change and reduce your stress levels before things take a turn for the worst!

While these conditions are common causes of fatigue, it's important to work with a doctor or health care professional to accurately diagnose them. That’s always the first step towards getting any necessary treatment for underlying conditions that might be causing daily fatigue.

What Supplements Can I Use To Help Improve My Energy Levels?

If you're looking for a way to increase your body's ability to produce energy and use it in a more effective way, one of the most helpful things to do is to look into supplements.

Supplements with the right blends of herbs, vitamins, and minerals can naturally help increase energy levels and help you fight off feelings of fatigue, all the while offering a host of other benefits. Here are some of our favorites.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is one of the most important vitamins for the human body when it comes to maintaining proper energy levels.

If you think of your body like a factory, and your food intake is the fuel for the machines in that factory, then the B12 molecules are workers that help everything run smoothly. Without B12, your body can struggle to convert the food and drink you consume into energy, which can lead to feelings of fatigue.

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, it may be tougher to get enough B12 in your diet, since the nutrient is primarily found in animal products. However, meat-eaters and herbivores alike can benefit greatly from taking B12 supplements to avoid a deficiency.

Vitamin D

Your body naturally produces vitamin D3 in response to sun exposure, and you can also get this essential vitamin from some foods.

If you’re spending most of your time inside, living in a place with typically overcast weather, or eating a plant-based diet, taking a vitamin D3 supplement may help you keep your energy levels within a healthy range.

Getting enough vitamin D, as well as sufficient levels of B vitamins, is essential for avoiding fatigue, maintaining your production of red blood cells, and supporting your body’s everyday functions.

Iron

Iron is one of the most important minerals in the human body. Sufficient iron levels help you fight off iron deficiency anemia, which can lead to chronic fatigue and a host of other problems, including headaches, lack of energy, and more.

Older adults tend to be at the highest risk of developing an iron deficiency, making iron one of the best supplements to take to maintain energy production as you age.

Caffeine

Caffeine isn't usually seen as a “supplement,” but it is often used to boost energy levels. The popular stimulant is found in energy drinks, coffee, tea, and more, and it’s one of the most widely-used compounds on the planet.

However, there are pros and cons to using caffeine for an energy boost.

In general, drinking a few cups of coffee or tea each day is a perfectly safe and responsible way to band-aid feelings of fatigue.

However, it’s important to stay reasonable with your caffeine intake. Unlike many of the other supplements on this list, caffeine has a higher risk of noticeable side effects. These side effects include withdrawal headaches, jitters, and developing a dependency, all of which you might have experienced at some point if you were ever a self-proclaimed “coffee addict.”

Luckily, all it takes to reap the benefits of caffeine and avoid the side effects is moderation. Sticking with just a few caffeinated drinks each day can help you temporarily increase your physical and mental energy, all the while helping to avoid that morning grogginess that no one likes.

On that note, it’s important to highlight that we used the term “band-aid” for a reason — caffeine basically tricks your brain into thinking it’s not tired anymore, and it’s more of a cover-up for fatigue than a sustainable solution. Do what you can to get to the root cause of why you’re tired!

> Can I Have Too Much Caffeine?

While caffeine certainly does have some energy-boosting properties, there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. Drinking too much coffee or tea can lead to a “caffeine crash,” which causes your energy levels to quickly plummet as the caffeine’s effects wear off, but it can also result in the notorious “jitters,” which is a collection of symptoms of restlessness, anxiousness, and jitteriness, followed by that caffeine crash. The FDA recommends no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day for the average adult, which equates to about four to five cups of coffee.

CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is an antioxidant that your body uses to help support the healthy functioning of your mitochondria, which are heavily responsible for cellular energy production.

CoQ10 is naturally produced by your body but is also found in certain foods, including nuts, organ meat, and fish. Of course, you can also take it as a supplement.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a staple in ancient Indian medicine, and it’s prized for its calming and stress support properties. Its benefits primarily revolve around supporting the body’s natural stress management system, so taking an ashwagandha supplement can be an excellent way to clear your head and get your energy levels back on track if stubborn stress is at the root of your fatigue.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral that your body needs to convert food into energy. You can get the mineral from foods, but taking a supplement may make a big difference for your energy levels if you suspect that you have a magnesium deficiency. Not to mention, magnesium can also help support healthy sleep, which is always a positive when trying to boost your daily energy levels.

Probiotics

Probiotic supplements help increase the number of beneficial bacteria and yeast in your gut microbiome. Those powerful microorganisms play a key role in your ability to maintain healthy energy levels, especially in that a balanced microbiome can support proper nutrient absorption. You can get probiotics from certain foods like miso or yogurt, or you can take a supplement (bonus points if the supplement also includes prebiotics, which serve as the fuel to feed probiotics!).

L-Theanine

Found in green and black tea, L-theanine is known for its ability to support mental focus and clarity. By drinking tea or taking an L-theanine supplement, you can easily reap the benefits of this calming, focus-boosting amino acid.

Is It Safe To Regularly Use Supplements for Energy Support?

Supplements are generally very safe for most people when taken as directed, but can sometimes cause side effects in some individuals, especially in those with chronic conditions or those taking prescription medications. Because of this, it’s important to consult with your physician if you believe a new supplement may interact with any treatment you’re currently on.

That said, while adding an energy-supporting supplement to your health stack can be massively beneficial, it’s important to consult with your healthcare provider to make sure there aren’t more serious underlying reasons that are causing your fatigue.

Taking the Right Supplements

Dealing with fatigue can be frustrating, but there are plenty of options for confronting it head-on and boosting your energy levels. The supplements listed above all make excellent additions to a healthy lifestyle, and they’re completely natural ways to fight fatigue and keep your energy steady throughout the day.

Now you know which supplements to take, you need to make sure you’re taking them in the best form you can.

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Sources:

Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? | FDA

What Are Calories? | Livescience

7 Foods That Are High in Magnesium | Cleveland Clinic

Fatigue | Mayo Clinic