16 February 2024 , 14:07
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Feeling lethargic and as though you don't want to do anything is rubbish, and you'll do anything to get feeling back to your bouncy self.
But the question is often 'why?', and sometimes it's reassuring to know that there's nothing wrong with you, you're not coming down with anything - it's just "clock dysfunction." When you feel wide awake at 3am, and like you need to take a nap at 7pm, it can be irritating, and tough to get yourself into a better routine.
You could put it down to that afternoon coffee you guzzled, or the late night you had at a gig at the weekend that you're desperately trying to catch up after. However, Karina Antram, coach, nutritionist and author of Fix Your Fatigue told Stylist what the real reason could be.
She explained that clock dysfunction is when our "internal clocks are out of sync", and we have internal clocks that dictate "mood, energy, and sleep." Our PER 3 gene length determines our chronotype, and this dictates whether we're seen as a morning person or a night owl, and Karina said that "energy problems" may be noticed when you start to operate out of your "natural genetic chronotype."
So, if we do things that don't suit our usual routine, and our internal clocks, you may feel as though something is off with you and you'll experience "circadian misalignment". So, how do you fix it?
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Karina recommends having a bedtime and sticking to it - even at weekends when all you want to do is slob about after a hard week of work. She also said that if you're tired, pushing through isn't the answer, and you should just go to bed and catch up on some much-needed Zzz's.
You may also want to give yourself an earlier time to eat in the evening, to "give your microbiome a rest." It's also ideal to eat no later than 8pm, according to Karina, and give yourself a 12-hour break between dinner and breakfast so your digestive system can cope.
You should also tune yourself into the natural light, so when you get up in the morning, ensure you're opening your curtains or blinds. But at night, Karina recommends "cosy lamps" as you wind down for a night of rest. And speaking of pre-rest, it's good to journal before bedtime so you can "brain dump".
And one of the most important tips Karina gave is ensuring where you sleep is clean, tidy, and conducive to a good night of rest.