How to keep your energy levels up during the day if you're fasting for Ramadan
As we approach Ramadan, Muslims worldwide will observe the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, and holy month of fasting, as a time for prayer, reflection and community.
Many Muslims will spend a period of 30 days abstaining from food and drink – including water – during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith. After sunset, the breaking meal, iftar, is taken.
This year, Ramadan is expected to begin on the evening of February 28 and will conclude on the evening of March 30 – however the exact dates are contingent upon the sighting of the new moon – when Muslims worldwide will then celebrate Eid.
What can be expected when fasting?
Dr Nasir Hannan, GP at The London General Practice explains that the main symptoms that can manifest from fasting are headaches, reduced energy levels and mood changes. They tend to be mild initially, and as the month progresses, the symptoms do tend to resolve as the body adapts to the state, Hannan says.
As people prepare themselves for Ramadan, while also navigating their day-to-day lives during the period, GPs explain how to maintain energy levels.
Prepare beforehand
As Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, Dr Shazia Siddiqi a GPwER in Dermatology at GP Pathfinder Clinics, advises participants to make some preparations in the run up to the celebration.
'I often tell patients if they have a week or two before Ramadan to begin cutting down their caffeine intake, drink a little bit more water and start spacing their meals out during the day, to give them a head start,' she says.
'Get your sleep pattern right in advance too – start sleeping a little earlier and waking up a little earlier.
'It's almost like preparing for a marathon rather than a sprint. You have 30 days where you will get more and more tired towards the end so it's important to make sure you prepare for it.'
Have a routine
'The key to managing energy levels during fasting is to manage the interplay between diet, exercise and sleep,' says Hannan, who is also celebrating Ramadan. 'I find calendar planning and time management to be crucial in helping me maintain energy to sustain performance over the month.'
Implement naps
'I also find micro napping very useful during the day time,' Hannan says. 'With night prayer implemented during Ramadan, I find having small naps helps to supplement sleep I may miss out on.'
Slow down
'Slow things down during this month if needed,' says Siddiqi. 'If you have got annual leave to take – this may be a good time to take it.'
'Ramadan is occurring during the Easter holidays, so if you have kids, try and sort out your day to best suit you. If the kids aren't fasting, you can put them into activities out of the house so you can have a bit of a break.'
Explaining that everyone will respond to fasting differently, Siddiqi says the main thing to remember is to not push yourself.
'The month is about more than just fasting. It's about being with family and taking some time out. We can use it as more of a reset button and coming back to what really matters.
'If you are feeling dizzy or weak, I would say you need to break your fast. Don't get to a point where it's dangerous.'
Have a balanced diet
Energy levels will inevitably drop as you go throughout the day, which is why it's important to have a balanced breakfast.
'It's all about eating the right kind of foods – slow energy release foods in particular at the beginning of the day,' says Siddiqi.
'Having a yoghurt base is also very good because it's quite cooling for the stomach and will help reduce a lot of the acidity that will build up during the day while not having any food going in.
'I would avoid big sugar hits throughout the fast as they will actually cause postprandial dips where you actually feel worse after you've eaten. Having a balanced diet is really essential throughout Ramadan.'
'It's common that people can overeat during Ramadan and it's extremely important not to do that,' says Hannan. 'Sometimes techniques such as calorie counting can help you with this.
Hydration
'Keeping your water levels and hydration levels topped up throughout the times when you can eat and drink is needed,' says Siddiqi.
'A cup of tea or coffee at the end of the day could be fine but try to not drink too much caffeine or caffeine-based products – including colas or lemonades… They have high levels of caffeine and will dehydrate you, so it is better to stick to fruit juices and milk-based products.'
Shorter exercise times
'You can implement shorter types of exercises such as walking or stretching rather than intense workouts,' says Siddiqi. 'Workouts such as pilates that aren't as intense will help you to maintain your energy throughout the day.'
Are there are exemptions to fasting?
Young children who have not reached puberty, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating, the elderly, those travelling and people with health problems can all be exempt from fasting.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
I'm a GP, and I'm sick of the NHS always winning
Another Spending Review, another promise of increased funding for the NHS. This week Rachel Reeves has said £30 billion will be invested over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the health service estate. But will these cash injections ever be enough? Or is a centrally run and funded system simply no longer able to keep pace with the population's needs and demands for healthcare in our modern era? The Times has also reported on Government plans to drastically shift care from hospitals into the community, in a bid to create a 'neighbourhood health service'; with the bulk of routine specialist appointments delivered in locations such as GP surgeries and high street opticians. How GP surgeries are expected to cope with the extra demand – when many patients are already unable to secure an appointment – is not made clear. Yet the crux of the matter is not primarily where appointments take place; but individual decisions made by the public around when, where and how they use the health service. Starmer is clutching at straws to meet his manifesto pledge for 92 per cent of patients to be seen within 18 weeks after referral for non-urgent conditions. Currently only 60 per cent of patients are receiving treatment within this timeframe. However, since Labour are focussing on the wrong problem, their solution will fail. Working as a GP in the NHS, it has frequently struck me how much of the healthcare demand in the UK might disappear if the public were contributing in some way. Take the patient who calls to discuss their child's difficult bedtime routine, or one who recently asked for exceptional NHS funding to have a small fatty lump removed from their back. Day after day, GPs see patients who would not contact the health service if they even had to pay £10 for an appointment. The same is repeated in A&E departments and outpatient clinics. Demand has been spiralling for years without the counterbalance that comes from a degree of personal responsibility. The result is that patients are offered tests and investigations they don't need, hospital referrals that may offer minimal benefit, and now many simply cannot get through to their GP at all. Emergency departments in the UK mirror scenes you might expect to see in a warzone: patients covered in blood and vomit, writhing in pain, or being left for hours in hospital corridors. Nobody seems able to rationalise which services the NHS should be delivering; meanwhile the system is descending into chaos and delivering increasingly substandard care. The Amazon Prime generation expects healthcare demands to be met at the click of a button – but better still, it is free! If the NHS can offer weight loss surgery, knee replacements, diabetes medication and more; then what is the point in striving to improve your health? The British public have, to a degree, learnt to expect the health service to pick up the pieces for their poor lifestyle choices. The results are seen across society: from overweight children in our primary schools, to millions declared unfit to work due to mental health conditions. Despite healthcare expenditure continuing to increase, and accounting for a larger share of the UK's GDP; productivity in NHS hospitals has fallen, waiting times for outpatient appointments have ballooned, the UK has markedly higher cancer mortality rates than other countries, and life expectancy improvements have stalled. Coupled with the number of working-aged people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness, it is not unreasonable to wonder how long this can continue. Labour are right to identify that too many patients currently receive hospital treatment for conditions that could be managed by GPs, but they fail to see the bigger picture on the need for healthcare reform. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, while expecting different results – this seems to reflect our position on the NHS.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
‘Amazing' anti-ageing cream that reduces wrinkles in 7 days, leaving skin plump & smooth & it's half price at Boots
CUSTOMERS are raving about a drugstore anti-ageing cream that reduces wrinkles and leaves skin feeling smooth in 7 days. With a bargain half price discount at Boots, customers have been quick to stock up on the popular product. The Olay Regenerist Day Face Cream Moisturiser, Anti-Ageing Niacinamide and Peptides, is a staple for your skincare routine. Its anti-ageing properties work to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, helping to smooth out your skin texture. The Day Cream works best when applied to the face and neck in the morning, before applying the accompanying Night Cream before bed. For those looking for a bit of sun protection they also offer a Day Cream containing SPF 30. The product is described as a "luxurious face cream... designed to hydrate, firm and renew your skin, providing all-day hydration." Using their Microsculpting technology combined with peptides and 99% pure niacinamide, it promises to penetrate 10 layers of the skin ensuring "visible skin regeneration". With an average rating of 4.5 stars on the Boots web si te, the product is clearly a hit with skincare enthusiasts. Some claimed that they always stock up when it's on sale, with eager shoppers able to purchase the product at Boots for just £15, reduced from its original £30. One customer who said that they had been using the product for five years wrote: "obviously pleased with the ways it moisturisers and tightens skin." Another said: " Amazing cream, makes your skin feel so soft, smells gorgeous, nice light cream... people have commented on my skin since I started using it." 'Why do you need all that-' fans beg to know as Princess Andre shares lengthy skincare regime that costs a whopping £160 Others were impressed that a drugstore brand had created such a high end product. One wrote: "This cream initially feels like a high end beauty product with its luxuriously creamy consistency and pleasant perfume." They did encourage other customers to make sure product was fully absorbed before moving on with the rest of their routine It's part of Olay's wider range of Regenerist products which work together to keep skin looking refreshed. Their accompanying Night Cream has similarly high reviews, with one shopper writing: "Best product for my skin on the market, tried cheaper and more expensive ones but this one is always on top!" 2 For those looking for even more effective benefits, the Regenerist Night Mask can be used 2-3 times a week on top of your usual routine to boost moisture and tighten your skin. Similarly, their Ultra Rich Day Cream might provide an extra boost of moisture for those with dry skin. For those with sensitive skin, the Fragrance-Free version might be a better alternative, with perfume and fragrance oils sometimes causing irritation. If you're trying to be more environmentally-conscious, Olay have recently released refill versions of their most popular products. Instead of throwing away your used containers, you can simply buy a refill pot and pop it in to the existing packaging, helping to reduce plastic waste and manufacturing emissions. Olay's entire Regenerist range is currently available for half price online at Boots.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Experts flag new agonising risk of most popular contraceptive - after another type is linked to brain tumours
Millions of women on the Pill may face a higher risk of painful infections that can cause infertility or life-threatening pregnancy complications, experts warn. The warning comes just weeks after it emerged that hundreds of women in the UK are considering legal action amid fears contraceptive injections may raise the risk of brain tumours five-fold. Now, experts are sounding the alarm over other hormonal contraceptives, which have been shown to contribute to chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bacterial vaginosis (BV). Dr Melanie Davis-Hall, medical director at The Lowdown and an NHS GP, said: 'The potential link between these conditions and hormonal contraception deserves more attention. 'Recurrent UTIs and BV can seriously affect a person's quality of life. 'These aren't just minor annoyances—they cause pain and can lead to complications like kidney infections or pelvic inflammatory disease.' A recent US study of more than 24,500 women found those using prescribed contraceptives were significantly more likely to develop a UTI. The injection was linked to a two-fold increase in UTIs, whilst The Pill—which contains hormones oestrogen and progesterone—was associated with a 10 per cent spike. Despite concerns, health experts urged women taking hormonal contraception not to suddenly stop without having another method in place. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common but agonising condition that affects the bladder, urethra and sometimes the kidneys. It's typically treated with a short course of antibiotics. Symptoms include a burning sensation while urinating—known as dysuria—frequent or urgent need to go, and lower abdominal pain. According to the NHS, some people may also notice blood in their urine, develop a high temperature or feel hot and shivery. Others may have an unusually low temperature, below 36C. Bacterial vaginosis (BV), meanwhile, is a common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge and can raise the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia. Dr Melanie Davis-Hall, an NHS GP and medical director at The Lowdown, says she regularly sees women with recurrent infections while using certain hormonal contraceptives. The proportion of women taking oral contraceptives has fallen by more than two-thirds, from 420,600 in 2012/13 to 126,400 in 2022/23, according to the NHS data. Around 555,400 women turned to the health service's sexual and reproductive health services in 2022/23—equivalent to four per cent of 13 to 54-year-olds In some cases, symptoms ease significantly after switching contraceptive methods—or stopping them altogether. One woman, who asked not to be named, told MailOnline she suffered from monthly bouts of thrush and UTIs for more than five years while taking the Pill. Since August last year, the 24-year-old teacher from Oxford experienced near-daily symptoms, including a stinging sensation when passing urine or during sex, and a frequent, urgent need to go. Despite trying everything from over-the-counter remedies to repeated courses of antibiotics, nothing brought lasting relief. 'Having constant thrush and UTIs has completely knocked my confidence—especially around being intimate,' she said. 'It's really upsetting to feel unattractive, even with a really understanding partner.' She added that limited access to bathrooms during the school day often made her symptoms worse. 'I'm always thinking about where the nearest toilet is when I'm out in public. It's draining, having to plan around it all the time.' Since coming off the Pill in April for fertility reasons, her symptoms have almost entirely cleared—and she hasn't had a single UTI. 'I feel disappointed that I didn't know all the facts, and that the dots weren't joined by my healthcare provider,' she said. Commenting on the large number of women reporting recurrent UTIs, Dr Davis-Hall said: 'Whilst there isn't robust clinical evidence yet to definitively confirm that the Pill causes UTIs, there are plausible biological mechanisms. 'The Pill can alter the balance of hormones in the body—particularly oestrogen and progesterone—which may impact the vaginal microbiome, the ecosystem of bacteria that protects against infections like BV and UTIs.' Hormonal changes can also affect the vaginal and urethral linings, which may influence susceptibility to infection. Vaginal dryness is a well-known side effect of progestogens—synthetic hormones used in many contraceptives—and this in turn increases the risk of UTIs. 'Contraceptives containing certain progestogens may thin the vaginal lining or affect cervical mucus in ways that increase the risk of other infections like BV,' she added. Common symptoms of BV include unusual vaginal discharge—often with a strong, unpleasant odour, particularly after sex—and changes in the colour and consistency of discharge. According to the NHS, around half of women with BV experience no symptoms at all. Whilst the condition is not usually serious and can often be treated with antibiotics, in extreme cases it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a serious infection of the female reproductive system that can cause scarring in the fallopian tubes. This can increase the risk of a dangerous ectopic pregnancy—where a foetus grows outside the womb, usually in the fallopian tubes. Ectopic pregnancies cannot be saved and can cause life-threatening complications. If left untreated, PID can lead to infertility—a risk that rises with repeated episodes of the disease. Dr Davis-Hall said: 'Recurrent UTIs and BV can cause pain, impact sexual enjoyment or lead to avoidance of intimacy, and contribute to relationship difficulties. The psychological burden—particularly when symptoms are dismissed or inadequately managed—is also significant.' In line with NHS guidance, she advises anyone experiencing recurrent UTIs or BV to speak to their GP to rule out other causes and consider whether their current contraceptive method may be playing a role. The warning comes as research published this week suggests that millions of women taking the mini-pill could be at greater risk of developing a brain tumour. The mini-pill —a daily birth control pill that contains progesterone only—is often prescribed as an alternative to The Pill, which also contains oestrogen. But scientists now say that women who take the contraceptive for more than five years are more likely to develop a meningioma. These tumours can be potentially life-threatening, putting pressure on the brain and causing symptoms like seizures, visual disturbances and memory loss as they grow. However, health experts urged women not to be alarmed, as the overall risk remains very low. Experts also pointed out a key limitation of the study—the researchers only looked at one type of mini-pill, desogestrel , and did not asses other progestogens. That being said, a similar study published last year, found that women using contraceptives jabs were also more likely to suffer potentially-fatal brain tumours. The injection implicated in the study—known as medroxyprogesterone acetate—also contains progestogen and works by stopping ovulation. When used correctly, this form of long-acting reversible contraception can last up to 13 weeks. But now a team of scientists from the French National Agency are raising the alarm over the jab's safety, as they found the number of women developing meningiomas while on the jab was particularly worrying. Around 400 women from the US have so far joined a class action against Pfizer and other manufacturers of the jab, alleging that they were aware of the risk but failed to adequately warn users or promote safer alternatives. All the women developed meningiomas after using Depo Provera, the brand name the jab was sold under, for at least a year.
