FEELING QUARAN-TIRED? 5 TIPS TO BEAT YOUR TIREDNESS WHILE IN ISOLATION

If you're isolating at the moment, the repetition of daily life at home, going on less outings and generally not doing as much incidental exercise could be leaving you feeling a bit more tired than usual. Sound familiar?

We have some suggestions for you that might help you perk your energy back up a bit.

Try to maintain your normal schedule as much as you can.

If you're working from home, try to keep your normal hours going - or at least as close as possible. If you have kids that are now at home that might be a challenge, so do what works best for your family. It might be tempting to stay up all night and get projects done, but this can drain your batteries, leaving you even more tired the next day. Since sleep is also one of the biggest contributors to your immunity, it's important to keep aligned with your regular bedtime and wake times.

Social (media) distancing

It's so easy to get lost in the drone of social media. You start scrolling then you look up and 20 (or more) minutes have gone by and because you've just been sitting there you feel like doing even less!

As well as zapping your energy, so much of the information circulating at the moment is harmful, fear-based and doesn't contribute to being a vibrant, healthy version of yourself. Set yourself a limit (or even a timer) and stick to it! Use your social media time to reply to friends or engage in something positive, then switch it off! If you're a sucker for that first-thing-in-the-morning social media binge, you could delete the app for a while so you have to consciously log back in online. You can always download them again later!

Stop doing those multiple fridge runs!

When boredom sets in, it's easy to catch yourself scanning the inside of your fridge again, and again and again - has anything changed since last time you looked?!

All those little snacks over the day (particularly if they are sugar loaded) can raise your insulin and blood sugar levels, leading to peaks and crashes, and result in even more tiredness.

Keep on moving

If you've found your regular exercise routine has slipped by the wayside, remember that something is better than nothing! Or why not take the opportunity to try something new at home? There are so many great ways to work out via online platforms without any equipment at all. Because the demand is greater than ever right now, so many companies have risen to the challenge of creating free work outs using nothing but yourself. Try typing in free exercise/stretching/yoga/dancing classes into your search bar - you may find a new passion! We feel great when we exercise, which can help keep the quaran-tiredness at bay.

Get rid of 'junk' light

There is a huge body of science now regarding the effect of artificial light on our circadian rhythms and mitochondrial function (our energy producing cells). White conventional LEDs and fluroescent lights are said to emit about 5 times the blue light we have evolved to handle, and many experts are suggesting this is having a devastating effect on our ability to function well mentally.

In addition, blue light can disrupt your melatonin production (the hormone we need to fall and stay asleep) for up to four hours! This is why we are constantly being told no screen time before bed.

So what can you do? Short of going to bed at sunset like our ancestors, you can switch out your LED and fluroescent (junk) light bulbs for amber/red incandescent or halgoen bulbs, which are a better (though not perfect) alternative. If you do need to be on your device at night, you can download apps such as 'f.lux' for free on your computer which give your monitor a warm hue, and you can use the 'nightshift' feature on newer iPhone software to tone down blue light. Another pretty cheap solution is blue light blocking glasses to wear when the sun goes down.

Are you doing any of these already? What else are you doing to keep your energy levels up during isolation? Let us know!