How to Be More Energetic in the Morning, at Work and All Day

Learning how to be more energetic mostly comes down to timing. The first hour after waking and the stretch after lunch are where most people run flat, and each has fixes that take minutes and come from real studies: brighter light, 10 minutes on the stairs, a 26-minute nap, a cold finish to the shower. Here is what the research found for the morning, the workday and the hours in between, plus the fastest switch-on we know for the moment you need it now.

How to be more energetic in the morning

Turn the lights up, or better, go outside. In a 2012 study in Physiology & Behavior, Smolders and colleagues at Eindhoven University of Technology sat 32 people under either 200 lux or 1,000 lux for an hour. Under the brighter light they felt less sleepy and more energetic, their reaction times got shorter and their heart rates rose. The effect on performance was strongest in the morning sessions.

Then eat something that won't drop you an hour later. Harvard Health Publishing points to low-glycemic foods (whole grains, high-fiber vegetables, nuts, olive oil) and notes that proteins and fats sit close to zero on the glycemic index. Eggs or Greek yogurt with nuts will carry you further into the morning than a pastry and juice.

Drink a full glass of water before the coffee. Harvard lists fatigue as one of the first signs of running low on fluids, and most people wake up having had nothing for seven or eight hours.

Finish the shower cold

In 2016, Geert Buijze and colleagues in the Netherlands ran a 30-day trial with more than 3,000 working adults published in PLOS ONE. Participants ended their usual hot shower with 30, 60 or 90 seconds of cold water. They reported higher energy levels, and the length of the cold blast made no difference. Over two thirds kept going after the trial ended. If a cold shower is too much, cold water splashed on the face is the smaller version of the same shock.

How to be more energetic at work

Take the stairs instead of the vending machine. Derek Randolph and Patrick O'Connor at the University of Georgia tested this on female students who slept less than six and a half hours a night (Physiology & Behavior, 2017). On different days they took 50 mg of caffeine, a placebo, or walked up and down stairs at a regular pace for 10 minutes, about 30 floors. Caffeine and placebo changed little. The stair walk left them feeling more energetic and vigorous straight after, with a small rise in motivation to work.

If you can nap, keep it short. NASA's 1995 study of long-haul pilots, led by Mark Rosekind, gave crews a planned rest in the cockpit. Pilots who napped for an average of 26 minutes showed up to 54% better alertness and 34% better performance than pilots who didn't, and were less sleepy at the end of the flight.

A few small things at the desk:

• Sit near the window or put a bright lamp at eye level for the afternoon.
• Skip alcohol at lunch. Harvard notes its sedative effect is strongest at midday.
• Do the hardest task in the late morning, before the post-lunch dip arrives.

The early afternoon slump is partly set by the body clock, so expect it. Our post on beating the afternoon slump goes through it hour by hour.

Keep your energy up throughout the day

Regular, easy exercise has some of the strongest results, and easy is the important word. In 2008 Tim Puetz, Patrick O'Connor and Sara Flowers at the University of Georgia put 36 sedentary adults who complained of constant tiredness on stationary bikes for 20 minutes, three times a week, for six weeks. Both exercise groups gained about 20% in energy over the group that didn't exercise. The low-intensity group cut fatigue by 65%, more than the moderate group's 49%. The gains didn't track changes in fitness.

That means a gentle 20-minute bike ride or walk three times a week counts. You don't need to train hard to feel the difference.

Caffeine timing matters too. Harvard advises against coffee after 2pm, because late caffeine can cost you sleep that night.

How to be more energetic without caffeine

Everything above works without a cup of coffee: morning light, water, a protein breakfast, a cold end to the shower, the stairs, a short nap, easy exercise. The stair study is the clearest case, since 10 minutes of walking beat 50 mg of caffeine head to head.

Most of those take five to 20 minutes, though. Sometimes you are already at the desk with the deadline, sitting in the car before the gym, or a minute from the 3pm meeting, and you need to be switched on now.

One spray and you're switched on

That is the moment Dragon Breath is made for. It's a 50 ml mouth spray of chilcuague root (Heliopsis longipes), a golden root wild-harvested in Central Mexico from growth zones the Mara team selects with the help of local elders. One spray and within about 10 seconds a bright electric buzz spreads across the tongue and mouth. Your mouth floods. The taste is earthy and a little peppery for a second, then the tingle takes over, and you come out the other side switched on for whatever is next.

The buzz comes from affinin (also called spilanthol), measured at 6.9 to 8.5 mg per gram of root by HPLC. In Mexico the root has long been chewed and used as a spice, as Cilia-López and colleagues record in their ethnobotany work. Our full guide to chilcuague covers the plant, the Sierra Gorda where it grows and how people have used it.

People reach for it before work, at the 3pm dip and before training. "Definitely energized," one customer said on camera, moments after a single spray.

A spray suits this job better than a tea or a powder. It lives in your pocket, one spray is all it takes, and the extract stays sealed in Miron violet glass, away from air and light. A bottle holds 250+ sprays. Start with one, and go up to five once you know the feeling.

Dragon Breath – Chilcuague Extract

50 ml mouth spray. Wild-harvested chilcuague root, dual-extracted. 250+ sprays.

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Dragon Breath considerations

If you're pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or allergic to plants in the daisy family, ask your doctor before using it.

Questions people ask

What is the fastest way to feel more energetic?

Ten minutes of walking up and down stairs lifted energy straight away in the University of Georgia study. For something quicker still, one spray of Dragon Breath brings the buzz within about 10 seconds.

How can I be more energetic in the morning without coffee?

Get bright light early, drink a glass of water, eat a breakfast built on protein and whole foods, and finish your shower with 30 to 90 seconds of cold water.

How long should a nap be for energy?

Keep it short. NASA's pilots napped for an average of 26 minutes and came back more alert than pilots who stayed awake.

Does exercise give you more energy if you're always tired?

In the 2008 University of Georgia trial, tired, sedentary adults who rode a bike gently for 20 minutes three times a week gained about 20% in energy and cut fatigue by up to 65% in six weeks.