
Ask HN: How do you keep your energy level up? - ganashaw
I recently graduated and started a full time job as a software developer. By and large, I love my job. I usually spend my days solving interesting problems which is what I love doing.<p>That said, after working 8 hours a day (I usually do 7-4 with a 1 hour lunch break) I find myself exhausted afterwards. I sometimes find myself going to bed not long after dinner. I don&#x27;t have time for any of the hobbies I had in college like gamedev or video games despite having a similar if not greater workload in college.<p>It seems like the main difference is that the work was broken up by classes in college which spread the work out more and made it less exhausting.<p>To be clear, I&#x27;m not talking about &quot;burn out&quot;, at least not in the sense that it&#x27;s normally talked about. I still love my job (I just started!) and the work it entails.<p>I take vitamins, and I get a reasonable amount of sleep each night (7-8 hours). I tried working out but that just seemed to make me more tired.<p>As I look at my future, I hope to one day have kids and get married, and I&#x27;d be a pretty poor parent if I came home with this level of energy every day.<p>So how do you do it? Do you have any tricks to keeping your energy level up throughout the day?
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knux
>I don't have time for any of the hobbies I had in college

>but that just seemed to make me more tired.

>I'd be a pretty poor parent if I came home with this level of energy every
day.

This isn't energy, it's depression. Even if you are not talking about "burn
out", talking about your energy levels is a mood issue, unless you are
overweight, have a bad diet, or have irregular sleep (which, as you say, you
do not).

I would mention these concerns to your doctor. 10% of US adults
([http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics](http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics))
suffer from depression, and it has nothing to do with whether you enjoy your
job. The difference, if treated, is that you will enjoy your job _and_ have
energy at the end of the day.

~~~
squiggy22
woah there conclusion jumpin cowboy. tired after work != automatic depression.

Get a full set of bloods taken. could be underactive thyroid or anything.

~~~
lhuser123
Exactly what I said. Jumping to conclusions.

This sounds very similar to the kind of advice that gets normal people hooked
to drugs and destroy their lives.

No one it's immune to the ups and downs of life.

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remotedreamer
Modalert, caffeine, workout about 3 days a week, consume a small amount of
carbs(smoke sativa weed instead of drinking beer before calling it a night),
and a very fast internet connection.

~~~
knux
Stimulants will make them more active during work hours. They are talking
about energy in evening hours. If you are suggesting stimulant use in evening
hours, let me shut that down right now, because it will affect their sleep
quality.

Exercise is a decent idea. I would suggest an antidepressant instead of a
stimulant, though.

~~~
remotedreamer
Antidepressants cause more problems than solve, at least from my experience.
Modafinil(modalert) is a mood enhancer, which I use when I wake up. Weed is
too, depending on the individual. Sativa brings you up with energy and focus
and then brings you down to help you sleep.

~~~
knux
>Modafinil(modalert) is a mood enhancer, which I use when I wake up.

Again, OP is not talking about when he wakes up.

>Sativa brings you up with energy

Like a stimulant. This is not useful for OP.

Lumping all antidepressants together and saying they cause more problems than
they solve is generalizing too much. Which ones cause problems, and for which
people? The most common type is SSRIs, but if OP does not metabolize folic
acid properly, it is off the table. I will concede that tricyclic
antidepressants have more side effects, but SSRI use is relatively common, at
10% ([https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-rise-of-
all-p...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-rise-of-all-purpose-
antidepressants/)). That is compared to 7-13% of adults who report cannabis
use ([http://www.gallup.com/poll/194195/adults-say-smoke-
marijuana...](http://www.gallup.com/poll/194195/adults-say-smoke-
marijuana.aspx)).

Speaking from personal experience, antidepressant has made all the difference
for me, in terms of energy. Unrelated, I use atomoxetine for focus throughout
the day. As it is not a stimulant, there is no crash or feeling tired in the
evening hours. Its levels are consistent throughout the day, and I code at all
times of day with little fluctuation, in terms of motivation.

------
dmfdmf
If you really are brand new to the working world I would give it time before
looking for solutions to a problem that might ease with time. Soon the newness
will wear off and you'll become proficient at the admin portions of your job,
if not the job itself (solving problems). The reality is that as the newb on
the job you are probably focused and engaged the whole 9 hours onsite and that
is exhausting as you have discovered. Have you ever watch kids play at a party
or BBQ? They are all riled up and running around at full speed and overly
stimulated for 5 or 6 hours. Ask one of their parents and they will tell you
-- after an event like that the kid will crash hard and sleep like a rock that
night. You are in the same boat. In time you won't have to be fully engaged
like that for 9 hours and the remaining mental power and energy will be
available in the evenings and weekends for hobbies, family & Etc.

You are like the college football players who make it to the NFL and are used
to 8-10 game seasons which in the NFL (including preseason) doesn't get you
through the half-way point. You are working for a living now and not in Kansas
anymore so it might take some time to adapt to the ebb and flow of life.

That said, it is important for the long term to make your health a priority.
Unless you have a child, do not compromise that 7-8 hour sleep because in my
experience sleep is one of the most important aspects of good health. Is that
7-8 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep and do you wake up feeling
refreshed? If that is not the case you need to investigate. Another concern
that I notice in your post is that exercise makes you tired and that is not
normal for someone (presumably) in the mid-twenties or even thirties. Unless
you are extremely out of shape exercise should make you sleep better, think
better and have more energy. Even if you are out of shape at your age a
regular exercise routine should very quickly pay much bigger dividends in
energy, sleep and general well-being. I highly recommend you pursue that lead
and get doctor's evaluation to rule out any problems and start exercising as a
life-long habit.

Finally, contra all the other's advice, I would kick the coffee/caffeine or
any other stimulants to increase your "energy" (except on an emergency basis).
Also, I would limit any alcohol to "relax" because if used more than
occasionally the consequences to your well-being are bad. I recently quit
drinking coffee and it has really improved my sense of well-being and quality
of life. I think all these drugs are detrimental if used daily or even
regularly -- they lose their effectiveness and have net negative impact on
your capacity to function.

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Cozumel
Skip your dinner break, no-one needs an hour, have a sandwich. Get home for 3,
have a power nap, till 3.30/4 you'll be fine for the rest of the day.

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steanne
if you just started full-time, it IS an adjustment. give it some time to see
how you adapt before you start panicing about having no energy left for other
things.

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autodidacticon
Standing desk. Skip lunch. Green smoothies.

