Recent research shows many of us survive on poor sleep – the kind when we wake up frequently throughout the night. It doesn’t replenish our energy levels as well as long stretches of continuous sleep. Poor sleep can be caused by stress, but also by over-stimulating the brain too close to bedtime. For example, by checking emails or using tablets and smartphones that emit a blue light found to disrupt sleep by tricking the brain into producing ‘wake-up’ hormones right when you need to wind down.

You need to develop good sleeping habits – which means going to bed at a set time, banning screens for an hour beforehand and developing a wind-down routine that prepares your body for sleep, such as a warm bath, followed by a milky drink and half-an-hour reading something easy-going.

Coffee actually makes us feel more tired once the initial surge wears off. Coffee is also a serious sleep disrupter, with one study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine revealing that drinking it even six hours prior to bedtime meant poorer quality sleep.

Avoiding caffeine will increase energy levels in the long run – but cut down gradually, cup by cup, to avoid headaches and irritability.

An iron deficiency can leave you feeling sluggish, irritable, weak, and unable to focus. “It makes you tired because less oxygen travels to the muscles and cells,” say experts.

Boost your iron intake to reduce your risk of anemia: load up on lean beef, kidney beans, tofu, eggs (including the yolk), dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and peanut butter, and pair them with foods high in vitamin C, as vitamin C improves iron absorption when eaten together.

Though booze makes you feel sleepy, it also prevents you from getting the true rest your body needs. A 2013 review published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found alcohol consumption helped individuals reach a deep sleep early on, but led to disruptions in the REM stage (which is the most restful stage of sleep). It’s fine if you enjoy a drink or two, but don’t use the booze as a strategy for getting a better night’s rest.

Nutritionists explain that it’s essential to provide the body with enough calories and vitamins to get through the day. And B vitamins are particularly vital as they’re required by the body to convert the food you eat into energy.

You can find this group of vitamins in grains such as brown rice, barley and oats, as well as lean proteins such as oily fish and turkey.

About one in six people will experience depression during their life, according to experts. It can be caused by difficult life events such as unemployment or an abusive relationship and people with a  family history of depression are also at greater risk. People with depression often can’t sleep at night because they’re anxious, say experts.

Depression can be managed with psychological treatment and medication.

Losing as little as 2 per cent of your body’s normal water content can take its toll on your energy levels. And it’s surprisingly easy to become dehydrated, especially as we tend to lose our thirst reflex as we get older. Working in an air-conditioned office, going for a long walk or simply forgetting to drink regularly can quickly lead to depleted fluid levels. This causes blood pressure to drop and means not enough blood gets to the brain or muscles. This can cause headaches, fatigue and loss of concentration.

Try to drink every two hours. If you’re not peeing regularly or your urine is very dark, it’s a sign you need to drink more.

“If you have underactive thyroid, you don’t have enough thyroid hormone and this slows your metabolism. So you have less energy and feel sluggish,” says Dr Jennifer Wong, a consultant endocrinologist at Jean Hailes for Women’s Health.

You will need to consult a doctor and do a blood test and be prescribed meds.

If you are constantly feeling tired, listless, thirsty, urinating frequently and experiencing skin wounds that heal slowly, you may be suffering from type 2 diabetes. If you suspect you might be suffering from type 2 diabetes, see a doctor. You would need medication and/ or insulin to manage your condition.

A Finnish study found losing five to seven per cent of your body weight helps reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and improves blood sugar levels. Eat a diet based on fruits and vegetables and lean protein to manage sugar levels and aim for 30 minutes of physical activity each day.

Skipping your workout to save energy actually works against you. In a University of Georgia study, sedentary but otherwise healthy adults who began exercising lightly three days a week for as little as 20 minutes at a time reported feeling less fatigued and more energised after six weeks. Regular exercise boosts strength and endurance, helps make your cardiovascular system run more efficiently, and delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues.

Text: Bauer/ Good Health/ Additional Reporting: Shenielle Aloysis