Feeling Sluggish? These Unexpected Tech Solutions Might Be the Answer
It’s frustrating to feel worn out, especially when you’re unsure why. While finding a solution may seem challenging, the good news is that technology can help. This guide covers some surprisingly useful tech tools to help you beat fatigue.
Wearable Fitness Trackers
Fitness trackers help you understand how your daily habits affect your health. They monitor your sleep pattern, heart rate, and movement to help you identify what makes you tired and figure out how to fix it.
Studies show that people who use these devices regularly are more likely to be active, sleep better, and spend less time sitting. These habits can all help increase energy levels.
As you use tracker tools, you'll notice patterns in your habits. For example, you might see that you don’t sleep well after drinking coffee later in the day or missing your usual walk. This feedback can help you make small changes that leave you feeling more awake and refreshed. Many wearables also set simple goals to keep you motivated without pressure.
Smart Lighting That Mimics the Sun
One of the most underrated low-energy tech fixes is upgrading your home or office lighting to smart, circadian-friendly lighting. Traditional lighting can disrupt your body’s natural rhythm, especially if you're exposed to harsh white light at night or dim lighting during the day. This throws off your circadian rhythm, crucial in regulating sleep, mood, and alertness.
Smart lighting systems like Philips Hue, LIFX, Cync, or Wyze Bulbs are excellent solutions as they can be programmed to simulate the sun’s natural light cycle. In the morning, the bulbs emit cool blue-toned light, which boosts alertness and serotonin, helping you wake up naturally and feel energized. As the day progresses, the light softens and warms, supporting melatonin production in the evening, which enables you to relax and sleep better.
Focus Apps
Apps like Freedom, Forest, and Todoist can combat sluggishness by introducing structure into your routine. Whether you're stuck in the middle of a project or struggling to start, these tools provide a gentle nudge to boost your concentration and get moving.
One significant benefit of this technology is that it gives you a clear starting point. Low energy often stems from being overwhelmed or indecisive, but focus programs simplify the first step. They reduce internal negotiation and make it easier to begin.
These apps can also help you manage alertness drain caused by distractions. Constant notifications, too many open tabs, and digital clutter can subtly wear you down. That's why many focus apps include features to block time-wasting websites and mute alerts, allowing you to keep your attention where it belongs. Plus, they promote better time management by encouraging you to break down larger tasks into smaller, more achievable ones. This makes your duties less overwhelming and provides a sense of accomplishment as you tick each smaller goal off your to-do list.
Voice Assistants
Let Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri handle small tasks like setting timers, reminders, checking the weather, or turning off lights so you conserve mental energy for more important things. These micro-decisions add up, and offloading them can lighten your mental load significantly throughout the day.
Even simple choices and repetitive tasks can feel draining when you're already fatigued. Using voice commands helps streamline your routine and reduces decision fatigue, freeing up your brain to rest or focus on more meaningful activities.
Blue Light Glasses
Wearing blue-light glasses while staring at screens during the day can reduce eye strain and prevent the subtle mental drain that builds up over hours. This type of light affects how your brain maintains stamina and concentration by influencing the natural rhythms that determine when you’re alert or tired.
These glasses work by filtering out the most disruptive wavelengths of blue light, which can throw off your body’s internal clock. Over time, this small change can help reduce headaches, improve sleep quality, and keep your energy levels more balanced throughout the day.
Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy can treat a range of conditions as it works by targeting how your cells produce fuel. The red and near-infrared light they deliver can reach beneath the skin, where it’s absorbed by mitochondria, the parts of your cells responsible for generating the power your body runs on. With more efficient energy production, you may find that tiredness fades.
This makes red light therapy especially helpful if your fatigue stems from chronic stress, burnout, or even post-illness recovery, when your body’s energy systems are overloaded or sluggish. Regular sessions can help you feel more energized, less foggy, and better equipped to handle physical and mental tasks.
Noise-Cancelling Earbuds
When your brain constantly filters out background noise such as traffic, coworkers, and buzzing appliances, it burns more energy than you think. This sensory overload adds up throughout the day, quietly draining your mental battery. Enter noise-cancelling earbuds, the unsung heroes of fatigue management.
Top-tier models like Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, Sony WF-1000XM5, or Apple AirPods Pro use active noise cancellation (ANC) to block out real-time disruptive sounds. By reducing ambient noise, these earbuds help calm your nervous system, allowing your brain to take a break from the constant alertness and overstimulation of modern life. This shift can reduce cortisol levels, improve focus, and even help you breathe deeper without retreating to a spa.
Movement Reminder Apps
When you sit for extended periods, your circulation slows down, and oxygen flow to your brain decreases. This reduces your alertness, drains your mental clarity, and leads to brain fog and lethargy. Apps that remind you to move interrupt a sedentary day by telling you to take short breaks at regular intervals.
You don’t need to treat these breaks as intense workouts. Some light stretching, walking to refill your water bottle, rolling your shoulders, or getting some deep squats in is enough to stimulate your blood flow and activate your nervous system.
The goal here isn’t to get physically fit but to re-energize your body so your mind can stay sharp.
Stay On Track With Tech
Technology can be a powerful tool when used mindfully to address everyday challenges.
Integrating the right resources and devices into your routine can create a more intentional and focused lifestyle that supports your physical and mental well-being. The key is experimenting and finding what works best for you, allowing technology to support your goals and enhance your daily life.
Check out The GearBrain, our smart home compatibility find engine, to find the smart locks compatible with your existing smart products or ones that work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.
