Chiaki Fukuda: Considering Fatigue Recovery Through Lifestyle Habits

As a health science advisor, I give lectures and write about health. As a physician, I examine 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 examine 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 the types of new products being desired.

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 that this 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 adjust to the climate changes, 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 it likely required energy to get their bodies back into a work rhythm after the break. This also causes accumulated 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 obligations and busyness.

Furthermore, since people have aged since 2020 and their physical strength has declined, some people get tired when trying to maintain the same pace as before. There are various cases, such as people who get physically tired from switching from remote work to commuting, or those who get tired from being considerate of the 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 can't 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, nearly half of working Japanese people get 6 hours or less of sleep, meaning many people 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 the instant they hit the pillow 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 the body falling asleep immediately because it is craving sleep so strongly.

For good sleep, avoid overeating 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 trips, events, or concerts can sometimes heal fatigue and make you feel energized. You have likely experienced a recharge of energy after meeting friends and laughing a lot, even if you returned home late.

Active rest is often particularly effective for people who were in sports clubs during their student days. 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 slowly at your favorite cafe.