6 Things I Do When I’m Running on Empty

There’s a specific kind of tired that hits differently. Not the satisfying tired after a long hike or a good workout. The other kind that’s slightly more intimidating— where you woke up already exhausted, you have a full day ahead of you, and eight cups of coffee still sounds like it won’t be enough.

I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit. Late nights studying in undergrad, early morning drives to job sites, nights out that went later than planned before a 7am alarm. And more recently, the slower, heavier version that builds up over weeks when you’ve been running on stress and not nearly enough solid rest.

This post isn’t a lecture on sleep hygiene. You know sleep matters. I’m not here to tell you that. What I am here to share is what I’ve actually found useful on the days when the sleep didn’t happen and life doesn’t pause to let you recover. In those instances, these are the small, practical things that help me keep my energy just enough to function, think clearly, and not be a complete disaster by 2pm.

One thing I want to be clear about upfront: these are damage control tools, not a lifestyle. If you’re consistently running on empty, that’s a different conversation (and one worth having with yourself seriously). I learned that the hard way. But for the occasional rough morning? Here’s what actually helps me.

Start with protein, not caffeine.

My instinct used to be coffee first, food maybe never. It turns out that’s exactly backwards. After a bad night, your body is already depleted, and caffeine on an empty stomach just amplifies the crash that’s coming. When I started prioritizing protein in the morning first, the difference in my sustained energy throughout the day was noticeable almost immediately. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Greek yogurt, eggs, a protein shake. Something that gives your brain and muscles something real to work with before you start demanding things from them.

Be strategic about what you eat, not just how much.

On a regular day I’ll eat whatever sounds good. On a low-energy day I’m more deliberate, because what I eat in the morning materially affects how I feel by noon. Heavy carbs and processed food first thing tend to make the fatigue worse for me, not better. Something lighter on my digestion, like avocado, leafy greens, or a smoothie, keeps things more even. Everyone’s body responds differently, so this one is worth paying attention to in your own patterns. But if you’ve never experimented with it, a depleted day is a good time to try.

Hydrate before you do anything else.

Your body just went seven or eight hours without water. That alone is enough to make you feel sluggish even on a full night’s sleep. I try my best to drink a full glass of water before I touch my phone, before coffee, before anything. It sounds small, but it consistently helps. (Dark yellow urine in the morning is your body telling you it’s behind on fluids.) It’s a relatively simple habit to implement and worth getting ahead of.

Move, even when you really don’t want to.

Personally, this one requires the most convincing to do but delivers the most results. On the mornings I feel worst, the last thing I want to do is work out. But even 20–30 minutes of movement (usually a walk, yoga, or body weight exercises for me) or really anything that gets your heart rate up genuinely shifts something. The research backs it, and my own experience does too. It doesn’t have to be a full session - just a small schedule block to incorporate and protect.

Do something about your stress before it compounds.

Fatigue and stress are a brutal combination because they feed each other. When you’re tired, everything feels harder and more stressful. When you’re stressed, your brain burns through energy faster, which makes you more tired. The cycle is real. On my worst days, I try to do at least one thing that actively reduces stress rather than just pushing through it. My personal preferences are a short meditation, a walk outside, or tidying my space. None of these feel that productive in the moment. All of them make the rest of the day more manageable.

Aura is an app that I use nearly every day to practice mindfulness and highly recommend. Check out my blog post on the resource here.

Nap strategically if you can.

If you have access to any downtime, use it. The sweet spot is either 20 minutes— short enough to stay in light sleep and wake up feeling refreshed rather than groggy— or closer to 90 minutes if you have more time, which allows for a full sleep cycle. The zone to avoid is 30–60 minutes, which tends to pull you into deep sleep right before waking and can leave you feeling worse than before. (I can attest this is true.) Twenty minutes of real rest does more than another scroll session will.

None of this replaces sleep. I want to be honest about that. These are the tools I reach for when I’m managing an imperfect situation, not a prescription for how to live. If you’re hitting a wall consistently, that’s your body asking for something more than a protein shake and a power nap, and it’s worth listening to. I ignored those signals for too long, and it caught up with me in ways I didn’t see coming.

But for the days when you just need to get through it? These are the things that help me most. I hope at least one of them helps you too.

What’s your go-to when you’re running on no sleep? I’m always looking for what actually works for other people — send your tips & tricks to our inbox or come find me on TikTok and Instagram.

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