Vitamins for Energy and Tiredness

If you're constantly feeling worn out and unmotivated, it's time to get the energy boost that you need. Your body's energy production can be disrupted by plenty of aspects of everyday life, leaving you with fatigue, weakness, and exhaustion.

Part of living a healthy lifestyle is finding ways to get all of the nutrients that your body needs to thrive — all of those vitamins and minerals play key roles in keeping your energy levels optimal.

In this post, we'll cover the best vitamins to get in your diet for optimal energy. If you're feeling tired all the time, don't give up – these essential nutrients might be just what your body needs to get back on track!

What Contributes to Low Energy and Fatigue?

There are plenty of factors that can leave you feeling chronically tired and unmotivated. Below are some of the most common causes of chronic fatigue, as well as what to do about them.

Amount of Sleep and Sleep Quality

Let's start with the obvious – when you aren't sleeping enough or getting high-quality rest, you're likely to feel tired throughout the day. One of the most common causes of exhaustion is sleeping for long enough but not getting the deep, restful sleep that you need to recharge and get revitalized.

Without enough rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, you'll still wake up tired and groggy – even after eight hours of sleep or more. That's why it's essential to create a peaceful, sleep-inducing environment in your bedroom.

Here are some factors that can help do just that:

• Reducing screen time before bed — i.e. put away your phone and turn off the TV
• Using blackout curtains to block out sunlight in the early hours of the day
• Developing a relaxing bedtime ritual — journaling and meditation are common
• Supplementing with calming herbs like chamomile and valerian root

Diet and Nutrition

What you eat and drink has a major impact on your energy levels, and everyone can find their ability to produce energy limited by a poor diet.

One of the main causes of exhaustion is a diet that doesn't provide enough iron. Not eating enough iron-rich foods can leave you feeling worn out due to the development of an iron deficiency. Lack of iron can lead to a limitation in your body's production of red blood cells; this is known as iron deficiency anemia, which is characterized by symptoms like dizziness and fatigue.

Excellent food sources include:

• Legumes like lentils, beans, peas, and soy
• Red meat, ham, chicken, tuna, salmon, and seafood
• Fruits and vegetables like broccoli, bananas, spinach, and potatoes
• Nuts of all kinds
• Enriched whole grains, which are also often fortified with other key nutrients like vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, folic acid, and more

Alcohol Consumption

Excess alcohol consumption can have a negative impact on your energy levels, especially if you make a habit of drinking too much too often.

Hangovers, which all too often are the result of too much alcohol (and not enough water to counteract its effects), are characterized by symptoms like headaches, dizziness, nausea, and of course, fatigue.

Dehydration

Your body and mind need fluids to function properly. When you're dehydrated, one of the first effects you're likely to notice is trouble focusing paired with fatigue.

The best way to keep dehydration at bay is to drink plenty of H2O, but other hydrating beverages like sports drinks or coconut water can help as well.

In addition, it's wise to monitor your consumption of caffeinated drinks if you're dealing with dehydration – beverages like coffee and tea are diuretics, which means they make you lose more fluids by encouraging your body to use the restroom more.

What Vitamins Can I Take for Energy Support?

If you're suffering from frequent bouts of exhaustion caused by nutrient deficiencies, taking supplements is one of the best ways to get your energy back on track.

Below are our picks for the best vitamins to use as natural energy boosters.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 deficiency is common among vegans and vegetarians since B12 primarily comes from animal sources like liver, but this deficiency can affect people of any lifestyle.

Taking a B12 supplement to replenish B12 levels in the body can help to stave off symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, memory problems, and trouble concentrating, all of which are known to pop up when B12 levels are low.

If you do eat a plant-based diet, B12 supplements can be especially helpful, as this vitamin isn't very easy to incorporate when you don't eat animal products.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral for maintaining energy levels because it plays such an important role in hundreds of bodily processes every minute of the day. It's also necessary for efficiently recovering from workouts and keeping your metabolism up and running.

You can get magnesium from dietary sources like nuts and some vegetables, but a supplement can be helpful as well.

Iron

Iron supplements can be helpful for anyone who doesn't get sufficient amounts of the mineral from dietary sources, and they're the first step taken in the treatment of an iron deficiency.

If you suspect that your iron levels are low, talk to your doctor about supplementation.

Vitamin D

Your body produces vitamin D in response to sunlight, and it also gets it from certain foods, but it's still very possible to develop a deficiency even if you’re drinking fortified milk every day after your daily jog in the sunshine.

If you are deficient in vitamin D, exhaustion is one of the symptoms you might experience. To avoid deficiency-related fatigue, it's often helpful to take a supplement — most Americans are deficient without even realizing it.

CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is an antioxidant that your body produces naturally. You can get it from meat, fish, and several other foods.

Low levels of CoQ10 are associated with headaches and exhaustion, and taking CoQ10 supplements may help to manage these symptoms.

It’s worth noting that CoQ10 levels naturally decrease with age, so supplementing this nutrient is an easy way to bring back some of the energy you had in your younger years.

L-Theanine

L-Theanine is an amino acid that is naturally found in green tea. It's known for its calming, mentally clarifying effects, as well as its ability to mitigate the stimulating properties of caffeine. If you need a caffeine boost but get jitters from coffee, try green tea instead – the L-Theanine can help to balance out the more intense effects of caffeine, making for calmer energy that lasts through the day.

Creatine

Creatine is found in red meat and other foods, and it's often taken as a supplement to aid in athletic performance. Supplementing with creatine isn't just for athletes, though – you may find that it's just what you need to bounce back from fatigue, workout or not.

Ashwagandha

This root is a mainstay in ancient Eastern medicine, and it's still used today to calm the mind and provide focus and mental clarity. You can take ashwagandha supplements to help manage exhaustion that is caused by chronic stress since it works to naturally support the body’s innate stress management mechanisms.

Caffeine

Okay, this isn't a vitamin, but caffeine has a sterling reputation when it comes to managing chronic fatigue. If you're having trouble waking up in the morning, adding a cup of coffee or tea to your daily routine might make a huge impact on your energy levels.

Nourishing Your Body To Get Your Energy Back

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Sources:

Magnesium and Human Health: Perspectives and Research Directions | NCBI

How to Calm Coffee Jitters After Consuming Too Much Caffeine | Spoon University

Sleep Basics: REM & NREM, Sleep Stages, Good Sleep Habits & More | Cleveland Clinic

Vitamin D Deficiency - StatPearls | NCBI Bookshelf