Get up and go, um,
got up and gone? Power up your day the caffeine-free way with these simple
sense-stimulating tricks.
Smell the coffee
You don’t have to
down a jitter-inducing double latte for an energy kick – just give it a sniff!
“When you smell coffee, your body assumes a caffeine hit will follow, so the
scent alone stimulates a more awake state,” says Dr Alan Hirsch, neurological
director of the Smell and Taste Foundation. Next time you’re working late, burn
a Busy Bee Cafe Au Lait candle, £15.95 (busybeecandles.co.uk) to stay focused.
Play DJ
A new study
suggests music can cause energy levels to soar. But not all tunes are equal (as
anyone who lives with an Olly Murs fan knows). The more you like a song, the
bigger the energy-boosting dopamine boost, so make a slump-busting playlist and
crank it up – Rihanna never fails to keep us focused on a Friday afternoon.
Tea off
Brain defaulting
to sleep mode? Learning to trigger the area that regulates wakefulness – your
reticular activating system (RAS) – can snap you out of it. How? “Jasmine,
peppermint and zesty citrus flavours get your RAS firing,” explains Dr Hirsch.
Pop a slice of lemon in a mug of hot water or brew a pot of peppermint tea for
a caffeine-free way to ward off the 3pm crash.
See red
According to US
psychologists, seeing the colour red increases energy and efficiency. Deploy it
where you’ll see it most; coat your nails with a flash of Chanel Rouge Carat,
£18. When shuffling your CV in an interview, it’ll keep you sparky, even if
you’ve been up half the night preparing.
Feel the (acu) pressure
Using your right
hand, measure three fingers down horizontally from the crease of your left
wrist and you’ll find the “pericardium 6” point, famed for amping up energy.
Acupuncturist kate Winstanley from The Food Doctor clinic says, “In Chinese
medicine, this point protects and stimulates the heart, and applying pressure
for a few seconds will pick you up and calm you down.” Double whammy.
