Chiaki Fukuda: Considering Fatigue Recovery Through Lifestyle Habits

As a health science advisor, I am active in lecturing and writing about health. As a physician, I see about 15,000 people a year in the examination room for comprehensive medical checkups and health screenings.

So-called "patients" visit medical institutions of their own volition because they have subjective symptoms. However, people undergoing medical checkups and health screenings include both those with illnesses and those who are perfectly healthy, so I am able to see and talk to a wider variety of people.

As a result, I notice various things from time to time. It is interesting to see trends in the types of human resources being sought based on the new employees at the examinees' workplaces, predictions of economic trends, and desired new products.

Of course, regarding health issues, there are concerns and subjective symptoms that increase during certain periods. Many people constantly complain of the subjective symptom of "not being able to recover from fatigue," but I feel it is a symptom and concern that increases particularly from autumn to early spring.

There are various possible reasons. First, there was the long, intense heat of last summer followed by the sudden arrival of severe winter cold. It is thought that the body cannot fully adapt to the changes in climate, leading to fatigue that is difficult to recover from.

Also, many people had a nine-day New Year's holiday; they were busy before the break and likely required energy to return their bodies to a work pace after the break. This also causes an accumulation of fatigue.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is also presumed to be significant. For a while starting in 2020, many meetings and gatherings were suspended, and gatherings with friends and relatives decreased, but recently they have made a full comeback. While enjoyable things have returned, many people must have experienced an increase in causes of fatigue, such as increased social considerations and busyness.

Furthermore, since people have aged and their physical strength has declined since 2020, some people get tired at the same pace as before. There are various cases, such as people who get physically tired from returning to the office from remote work, or those who get tired from being considerate of people around them.

Fatigue occurs for various reasons as long as we are alive, and we want to recover well and spend every day feeling good. What should we do for that? Below are some hints for improving lifestyle habits for fatigue recovery.

Sleep can be called a "wonder drug for fatigue recovery." When I ask people who cannot get rid of their fatigue about their sleep, about 95 percent answer that they are "not getting enough sleep." The required amount of sleep varies by individual, but generally, one should aim for 7 to 8 hours. However, it can be said that nearly half of working Japanese people get 6 hours or less of sleep, and many are sleep-deprived.

People who still feel sleepy and not refreshed when they wake up, people who sleep more than two hours later than usual on holidays when they don't have to worry about wake-up times, and people who fall asleep instantly the moment they hit the bed are considered to be sleep-deprived. While falling asleep instantly might seem like good sleep, it is actually a sign of chronic sleep deprivation and falling asleep quickly because the body is craving sleep so strongly.

For good sleep, do not overeat at dinner, keep alcohol consumption moderate, and put your internal organs into rest mode early. Relax by soaking in a lukewarm bath of about 40 degrees Celsius, stop looking at smartphones or computers, and set yourself to "deep sleep mode." Then, the ideal way to sleep is to doze off for about 10 to 15 minutes after getting into bed and fall asleep before you know it.

Of course, eating a regularly scheduled, nutritionally balanced diet is also important for fatigue recovery. In particular, Vitamin B1, which converts carbohydrates into energy, and Allicin, which enhances the absorption of Vitamin B1 and aids its action, are effective for fatigue recovery. Pork, liver, eel, beans, germinated rice, and brown rice contain Vitamin B1. Strongly scented garlic, green onions, and chives contain Allicin. It makes sense that dishes like stir-fried liver and chives or pork and vegetable stir-fry with garlic have an image of being stamina-building foods.

There are also fatigue recovery methods that work for different people.

First, there is what is called "active rest," where fatigue can be cleared away by being active. Moving your body through walking, sports, or dancing, or going out to enjoy travel, events, or concerts can sometimes heal fatigue and make you feel energetic. You may have had the experience of charging your energy after meeting friends and laughing a lot, even if you get home late.

For those who were in sports clubs during their student days, this active rest is often particularly effective. I also recommend things like doing light training at a sports facility for the first time in a while.

Even when we say "fatigue," there are various types: physical fatigue, mental fatigue, and emotional fatigue. Since there are individual differences, let's look for a fatigue recovery method that suits you. It is possible to forget your tiredness in just 15 minutes of savoring delicious coffee while breathing deeply at your favorite cafe.