Optimize Your Morning:
Using Energy Drinks as a Wake Me Up!
“In order to do more, I’ve got to be more.”
Vision. Determination. Desire. Living, Moving. Becoming. Inspiring.
Choices dictate our lives. We can choose to bumble along and let life happen. Or we can take dreams and make them a reality. It all depends on our weekly, daily, and even hourly choices.
We can become what we want to be. But that doesn’t happen without developed plans and dedicated effort. Our energy levels and focus are tied to our health. No effort to become will succeed without attention to physical and mental health. And when used properly, caffeine sharpens focus and performance.
6 Tips to Optimize Your Morning
As a child, my mother woke me up at 5:45 AM. As she switched on the light, she would say, “Time to be up and at’em. Day light’s burning.” (I often wondered how daylight could be burning at 5:45 AM in the dead of winter when it was pitch dark outside.)
My mother had one thing right. My productivity and tone for the day are set in the morning. Here are some tips to get your morning started off right and to optimize your day.
- Plan the Night Before
At the end of the day, while your brain is still focused and on task, spend a few minutes developing your plan of attack for the next day. This will reduce morning ramp-up time. In essence, you hit the ground running.
You could list two or three things you want to accomplish tomorrow. Or re-evaluate your long to-do list to prioritize what’s next.
2. Hydrate
Between sweating and losing water vapor during respiration, you may wake up dehydrated. Fatigue or lack of energy is one of the signs of dehydration. To hydrate, increase metabolism, and aid digestion, start your morning off with a large glass of water.
Some people may reach for a caffeinated beverage to wake up first thing in the morning. Recent studies indicate caffeine is not likely to be dehydrating, especially if you are a regular caffeine consumer. However, if you suffer from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), caffeine on an empty stomach may trigger GERD symptoms.
3. Morning Routine
Following a set daily routine reduces decision-making time to help optimize your morning. Routine exercise, meditation, breakfast, and appropriately timed caffeine set you up for a productive day.
Exercise not only benefits you physically but releases feel-good endorphins to promote a positive mental outlook. Meditation stills the mind and shifts the body away from a stress-responsive state to relaxed state. Breakfast fills the tank. And caffeine stimulates the mind and body to take on the day.
4. Reduce Sugar Intake
Too much sugar causes the body to speedily produce insulin to keep blood glucose levels steady. This results in a sudden, drastic drop in energy levels known as a sugar crash.
Fatigue, hunger, difficulty concentrating, and interference with performing routine tasks are all associated with a sugar crash. To enhance your energy levels and productivity, skip eating simple carbohydrates/sugars for breakfast, snacks, and lunch.
5. Play to your strengths
When do you do your best work? Is it early in the morning or late at night? Setting up your schedule to do the deep-thinking tasks when you think best makes optimizing sense. Leave more mundane things for other times.
6. Time Caffeine Intake to Your Needs
The inhibitory neurotransmitter, adenosine, builds up as the day progresses to sedate and relax the mind. As a stimulant, caffeine interferes with adenosine binding to wake up the brain for up to 6 hours.
Some people benefit most from caffeine early in the morning. It helps them get going per se. Others, like me, benefit from a little extra boost of energy mid-day to get over the afternoon hump.
Caffeine load and timing are important because the body builds a tolerance to caffeine. If you use it regularly, your body gets used to having caffeine. Higher doses are required for the same energizing effects. Ingesting caffeine late in the day can disrupt sleep patterns and create unfavorable caffeine dependence cycles.
What is Going on When Coffee is Not Waking Me Up?
Caffeine’s stimulating effects increase concentration and physical performance for most people, in most situations. However, it might not wake you up if you:
- Have a genetic disposition where caffeine does not bind well with the adenosine receptors,
- Have built up a tolerance to caffeine,
- Are dehydrated,
- Are consuming caffeine with too much sugar, or
- Have gone too long without adequate sleep.
Optimizing energy levels is more about making healthy choices rather than drinking more caffeine. In addition, health issues may be at the root of your exhausted state. If you are continually dragging, see a medical professional. An exam and blood workup can point to missing micronutrients or other health issues causing fatigue.
Teacher Power Energy Drinks
The right amount of caffeine taken at the optimal time can help you be more and do more. Teacher Power’s powdered energy drink mix is a great choice to put you in control of your caffeine dosage and timing.
If you are looking for something to wake you up, look no further. Teacher Power is here to power your day with healthy, sugar-free energy drinks. Our powdered drink mixes energize your mind and body with 100 mg of caffeine (full scoop) and a full array of B Vitamins.
Teacher Power’s Original Flavors come in Black Cherry, Raspberry, Fruit Punch, and my favorite Strawberry-lemonade. It’s like sipping on summer.
Our new immunity-boost line has the same energizing ingredients but includes zinc, vitamin D, echinacea, elderberry, ginger, and curcumin to support optimal immune system functioning. Say hello to fall and the holidays with our delicious flavors in Wassail or Caramel Apple to be enjoyed hot or cold.
See our product line on our website. Optimize your day with Teacher Power!
The content of Teacher Power’s website is for information only, not advice or guarantee of outcome. Information is gathered and shared from reputable sources; however, Teacher Power is not responsible for errors or omissions in reporting or explanation. No individuals, including those taking Teacher Power products, should use the information, resources or tools contained within to self-diagnosis or self-treat any health-related condition. Teacher Power gives no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness or applicability of the content.
By: Jae O. Haroldsen
Sources:
Spargo, Marty. “Best Energy Drink for Waking Up.” Reize Energy Drink. https://reizeclub.com/best-energy-drink-wake-me-up/
Castrillion, Caroline. “5 Morning Habits of Highly Successful People.” Forbes. 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2020/12/13/5-morning-habits-of-highly-successful-people/?sh=ff1b5df5ec66
Krulwich, Robert. “Every night You Lose More than a Pound While You Sleep.” Krulwich Wonders. 2013. https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2013/06/19/193556929/every-night-you-lose-more-than-a-pound-while-youre-asleep-for-the-oddest-reason
Killer SC, Blannin AK, Jeukendrup AE. No evidence of dehydration with moderate daily coffee intake: a counterbalanced cross-over study in a free-living population. PLoS One. 2014 Jan 9;9(1):e84154. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084154. PMID: 24416202; PMCID: PMC3886980.
Huzer, Timothy. “Should People with GERD Avoid Caffeine?” Web MD. 2018. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323333
Bruce, Debra Fulghum. “Exercise and Depression.” Web MD. 2020. https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression