THE SCIENCE BEHIND OPTIMAL ENERGY BALANCE

Energy balance is an essential part of your physical and mental health. Yet you're not always aware of the impact your energy balance has on your life. For example, do you wake up every day feeling energized and satisfied? Are you easily irritable? And do you feel fit throughout the day? 

 

Your quality of life is largely determined by that energy balance. A good balance makes you alert, happy, and focused. It affects your mental sharpnes, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, and physical vitality. If you too want a better energy balance, we have some valuable tips for you.

 

1. Sleep in uninterrupted 90-minute cycles

You need between 7.5 and 9 hours of sleep daily. Yet the average adult sleeps only about 7 hours a night. Poor sleepers sometimes even forget what it feels like to wake up rested and alert. They need an alarm clock to wake up, feel sleepy during meetings, or sleep late on weekends to recover. This is only normal when you have a sleep shortage. Therefore, make sleep a priority. That means: at least 5 90-minute cycles every night, or 7.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. 

 

According to the Center of Applied Cognitive Studies (CentACS), completing a full sleep cycle is very important:

Studies show that the length of sleep does not lead to waking up refreshed and energized, but that the number of complete sleep cycles is the key factor.

One sleep cycle lasts 90 minutes on average:
- 65 minutes of normal or non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep;
- 20 minutes of REM sleep (during which we dream);
- 5 minutes of non-REM sleep.

If we were to sleep completely naturally, without alarm clocks or other sleep disturbances, we would wake on average after a multiple of 90 minutes, for example, after 4.5 hours, 6 hours, 7.5 hours, or 9 hours, but not after 7 or 8 hours.

Someone who sleeps only four cycles (6 hours) feels better rested than someone who slept for 8 to 10 hours but did not complete a single cycle because they have woken up before the cycle was completed.

Are you having difficulties waking up in the morning?
Try setting your alarm to 90-minute intervals so that it goes off after a complete sleep cycle.

 

2. Eat well

One of the most common causes of afternoon fatigue is low blood sugar. As a result, you are more likely to eat more carbohydrates than necessary. As a result, your blood sugar gets too high. Depending on your personal preference and eating pattern, you can try eating smaller meals several times a day. That way, you stay ahead of the hunger pangs and are less likely to grab those carbs. Also try to include vegetables in every meal. This will help you stay satiated longer and keep your energy levels up. There are also people who engage in intermittent fasting and don't eat for extended periods of time (often 12 to 16 hours). Then, as always, it's helpful to give yourself an extra energy boost with the help of the caffeine in FIRST.

 

3. Get a daily dose of vitamin D

For optimal energy balance, it is important to get enough vitamin D every day. A study by the University of Newcastle found that vitamin D is essential for your muscles to work efficiently and increase your energy levels. Consequently, a vitamin D deficiency is noticeable by symptoms such as muscle weakness and muscle cramps.

Vitamin D is produced in the skin using energy from sunlight. You also find it in foods such as fish, cheese, butter and egg. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is 10 micrograms. If you do not make or get enough vitamin D, you can supplement with a vitamin D supplement. This is how you keep your muscles strong and healthy! 

 

4. Take caffeine for a quick energy boost

Do you normally feel energized throughout the day? If yes, you don't necessarily need extra caffeine. Especially when you are going to make an extra physical effort, caffeine can give you that extra energy boost to perform longer and stronger. For example, while running, cycling, or your strength training.

Have you slept badly, worked hard, or feel that afternoon dip kicking in? Then caffeine will give you a quick boost to stay sharp. Just be careful not to take caffeine too late in the day, or it may cause you to sleep worse.

 

5. Exercise every day

Contrary to popular belief, exercise actually improves your energy balance. To get energy from exercise, it is important not to exercise to the max.

Choose cardio exercises in your low to moderate workout heart rate range. Studies have shown that this increases the production of mitochondria in your body. And let those very mitochondria be responsible for energy production at the cellular level.

Exercise is also very good for your mental health. It reduces stress and stimulates the production of the ""happiness hormone"" endorphins. 

Even a short 20-minute walk can give you extra energy!

 

Could you use an energy boost?

Then take a gum break and use FIRST. That way you'll benefit from extra focus and energy within 10 minutes!