I’m really concerned about my lack of energy.

I eat lots of fruits and vegetables (every health book tells me to),
get 8 hours of sleep a night, and jog every day, but I still have
trouble getting up in the morning and usually feel sluggish and sleepy
in the afternoons. I was thinking of using that drug Provigil or
Modafinil, but apparently it won't be available in Australia for
another 12 months.

What resources are there on the internet that deal with how to
increase energy?

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 01 Dec 2002 23:04 PST

markabe...
Given some of the content of your previous questions,
three questions spring to mind which might possibly
be relevant to your current question:
Does the prospect of going in to work depress your energy?
How much alcohol do you consume, and with what regularity?
How many hours of sleep do you get on a regular basis?
As rcd-ga suggests, there are many factors, aside from diet,
which may be a factor in your energy level.

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Request for Question Clarification by mvguy-ga on 02 Dec 2002 06:50 PST

Have you had a physical checkup lately? If so, what did it show? Thanks.

Well markabe,

After posting a couple of comments, I figured I might as well limber
up my fingers and post an answer to your question.

You say you are already taking dietary steps to bolster your health,
but perhaps some additional information along those lines would be
useful.

Here's a good article by Andrea Mulder-Slater about dietary
considerations:
http://mountainbike.about.com/library/weekly/uc050802a.htm

Here's a supplemental article by nutritionist Linda Cumines
http://goodmedicine.ninemsn.com.au/goodmedicine/expert/article/linda/1583.asp

Here are some generalized lifestyle suggestions by Barbara Beznos:
http://www.icanonline.net/news/fullpage.cfm/articleid/AEFF2336-5516-477B-B2D33C43C8E7DE05/cx/health.stay_healthy/article.cfm

There are hundreds of supplements and nutritional products on the
market which claim to boost energy levels (just type into Google the
search criteria shown below to see many of them). The safety and
efficacy of those products is mostly unproven. However, if you are
interested in trying some of them, I suggest you first consult this
summary of athletic supplements from the DanGable.com website written
by Edward G. McFarland, M.D:
http://www.dangable.com/health/senhance.php3

Here's a Yahoo Health page discussing what to look for in nutritional
supplements:
http://health.yahoo.com/health/centers/fitness/6.html

You don't say anything about what sort of exercise you get, but that's
another obvious area to consider. This Motion Works webpage has an
excellent listing of the benefits of exercise and how your problem
might be addressed: http://motionworksfitness.com/ben.htm

In summary, there is no one answer to declining energy levels. If
you'll consider the information noted above, plus the other comments
posted by me and others, I suspect you will notice significant
improvements within a few weeks.

All the best, ericynot-ga

Search terms used: "increase energy" health; exercise energy benefits

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Request for Answer Clarification by markabe-ga on 10 Dec 2002 21:18 PST

ericynot-ga,

I've checked out your links and was wondering, are there any sites
that deal specifically with increasing energy?

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Clarification of Answer by ericynot-ga on 10 Dec 2002 21:56 PST

I'm not sure I understand your clarification request well enough to
address it head-on. By specifically, do you mean exclusively?

All of the sites I named (including those in the two comments I posted
before posting an answer) deal with increasing energy. If, as you
indicate, you have an energy deficit, it may be caused by a number of
different things, each of which, if appropriately addressed, can
result in an increase in energy.

A lot of contributions to this question, although I still feel that
the answer was missing.

It may have something to do with your work environment or
psychological state eg work motivation or stimulation rather than what
you are eating. Also bear in mind that it is summer in Australia and
plenty of bushfire smoke and dust about that may be causing a problem.
I'm in Australia and I often feel like having a little 40 min snooze
of an afternoon.

regards rcd-ga (researcher)

I turned 50 this year and have similar problems,so you're in good
company.Actually your symptoms may be due to aging.

How good is your 8 hours of sleep? How do you know? Have you
considered the possibility of sleep apnea?

If you're waking up repeatedly throughout the night because of apnea,
you may not be getting the sleep you think you are (and you may not
know that you're waking up so often). You may even be at serious
health risk. I would suggest looking at this site:
http://www.sleepapnea.org/geninfo.html#defined

Good luck, ericynot-ga

Here's another thought. In our chemical laden society, we are
increasingly subjected to environmental poisons. I heard a woman on a
television program the other day describing a mysterious illness that
eventually was diagnosed as neuro-poisoning brought about by sleeping
under a bed cover that had been drycleaned - she was hyper-sensitive
to the perchlorethylene solvent used in the drycleaning process. This
sort of problem may be exacerbated by the fact that our homes have
become more tightly sealed in the interest of air conditioning
efficiency, limiting ventilation and trapping us inside with whatever
chemicals may be present.

You might consider taking a look around your environment to see if
it's causing you any problems. Here are a couple of sites (among many)
to get you started if you're interested:

http://www.healthgoods.com/Education/Healthy_Home_Information/Home_Health_Hazards/household_hazardous_products.htm

http://www.enviromental-toxins.org.uk/