Every person’s physiology is a unique and personal thing, but that doesn’t mean that you have to start from scratch when it comes to finding a new way to improve your health or well-being. If you’re sick of coffee and looking for a move, there are a lot of nutrients you can use to bolster your mental acuity. Here’s what to look for when you want the best energy supplement around.
Vitamins
One of the critical roles of B vitamins is helping create energy in cells, and a deficiency in B vitamins is often one of the first issues addressed when trying to assess problems with energy levels. B-12 in particular can be a useful inclusion in any energy-based supplement, but it’s especially effective for people dealing with anemia and other blood-related conditions.
Vitamin D deficiencies are even more common, and they can result in some lethargic behavior. In fact, more than half of the world population has a vitamin D deficiency, so it’s worth your time to get a little vitamin D boost no matter what problems you’re having. And since vitamin D is closely related to depression, it can also help with issues of more deep-seated fatigue – primarily fatigue caused by depression or anxiety.
Coenzyme Q10
Most of our energy comes from food, so it makes sense that most of the cells in our body will contain CoQ10: an antioxidant that can transform the food we digest into actionable cellular energy. CoQ10 is a critical component in our body, and our cells are designed to produce all the CoQ10 we need, at least hypothetically. CoQ10 helps purge the presence of free radicals from your body. These harmful substances naturally occur, and in greater frequency as we grow older, and CoQ10 can help reduce this risk by oxygenating the cells of our body. A steady presence of CoQ10 will help you maintain the efficiency of cellular energy production and help you make the most of the energy you get from your food.
Ashwagandha
Like caffeine, ashwagandha is a nootropic agent – meaning that it reroutes your brain to push harder than it would otherwise rather than providing you with more energy directly. It’s a sleight of hand that can work when you need a boost of energy on crunch, but it’s not the healthiest way to get energy in your life.
That said, this herb has long been regarded as a powerful tool for dealing with fatigue and stress. While studies are still ongoing into how exactly ashwagandha works, it’s believed to reduce the flow of cortisol in the body, thus reducing the chemical factors that lead to overwhelming stress.
Iron
If you’re dealing with chronic lethargy, iron is a mineral you could be missing from your diet. Iron deficiencies are common, especially in women, vegetarians, vegans, and regular blood donors. And while you can counteract any deficiency levels by eating foods rich in iron, it’s generally good sense to invest in a supplement or drink that’s already rich in iron. Maintaining healthy iron levels will help ensure that you get the maximum amount of absorption from the food you eat.
Creatine
If ATP is your body’s fuel, you can consider creatine to be a fuel injector. Similarly to CoQ10, creatine has its own phosphate, and that’s the element that is ultimately ignited to create fuel in the body. Creatine allows ADP to be bonded with a new element, essentially giving you more bang for your buck with everything you eat. Just keep in mind that creatine can rapidly drain hydration from your body, so you’ll want to supplement it with plenty of water intake.
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