Why the stimulant spiral is so common during the holidays
Stimulants feel helpful because they work fast. Caffeine and sugar raise alertness by triggering stress hormones that keep you awake and focused — useful in short bursts, but more demanding on the body when relied on repeatedly.
During the holidays, those stress hormones are often already elevated. Sleep is lighter or shorter, meals are less predictable, and days are more socially demanding. Adding repeated stimulation on top of this can make energy feel increasingly unstable rather than sustained.
Adrenal fatigue during the holidays is not unusual, or a formal diagnosis, but a way of describing that wired-but-tired feeling where energy feels urgent but unreliable. The more stimulants are used to push through, the harder it becomes to get back to balance.
Should I cut out coffee completely during the holidays?
Not necessarily. Coffee isn’t the problem, relying on it to prop up already strained energy systems is. Reducing how often you reach for caffeine, or supporting energy in other ways alongside it, helps avoid the sharp crashes you’re trying to avoid.
What Steady Energy Depends On
When routines disappear, energy becomes less about how much you’re doing and more about how well your body can regulate changing demands. During the holidays, the systems that matter most for stability are balancing blood sugar for energy, and stress processing.
Balance your blood sugar
Irregular meals, longer gaps between eating, and higher sugar intake can all cause blood sugar to swing dramatically. When blood sugar drops quickly, the body often compensates by releasing stress hormones to keep energy levels up.
Over time, this can leave energy feeling jittery, flat, or unpredictable rather than consistent. Regular nourishment, protein and fiber at meals, and support for glucose regulation all help reduce the need for cortisol-driven “rescues” later in the day.
Calm your stress response
Stress plays a similar role. Even positive stress — social plans, travel, celebration — requires the nervous system to adapt. When stress signals stay elevated for too long, energy is redirected toward coping rather than restoration.
Choose support over stimulation
Non-stimulant energy boosters work by supporting regulation rather than forcing alertness. They’re often better suited to holiday life — when sleep, meals, and schedules are less than ideal. These alternatives also offer a way to support natural energy without caffeine, helping you feel steadier across the day, instead of experiencing sharp rises and falls.
Will supplements really help during the holidays, if my diet and sleep is bad?
Supplements aren’t a workaround for poor sleep or skipped meals, but they can make energy feel more stable when routines are off. By supporting blood sugar balance and stress processing, the right nutrients help your body cope better with short-term disruption, rather than pushing it harder to keep up.
Life Hacks for When Coffee Keeps Calling
Once you understand what steady energy depends on, the next question is what to do when energy dips mid-day and another coffee or stimulant feels like the only option. There are no set rules or resets, just a few small ways to support your body that might starve off that spiral.
Grab a snack. Even something small can help stabilize blood sugar enough to take the edge off a slump. Energy dips are sometimes fuel-related, even when they feel mental.
Change your environment. A short walk, fresh air, or moving into brighter light can gently increase alertness without pushing stress hormones higher.
Hydrate first. Dehydration can mimic fatigue. A glass of water before coffee is a simple check that often helps energy feel clearer.
Pause, then decide. Give yourself ten minutes. If you still want the coffee, have it — but many people find the urge softens fast.
These small shifts won’t eliminate fatigue altogether, but they can reduce how often energy needs to be propped up with stimulation, especially during busy, disrupted weeks.
Supplements that Keep Holiday Energy Steady
When your energy starts to feel unreliable, but it’s still the lead up to New Years, it’s rarely about a single deficiency. More often, it’s the result of several systems being slightly out of sync at the same time.
The right supplements don’t create energy out of nowhere. Instead, sustained energy supplements help stabilize the systems that energy depends on, so you’re less reliant on another coffee to get through the day.
Magnesium for switching off
It’s the holidays, so your energy issues probably can’t be blamed on low fuel, but more likely a nervous system that hasn’t fully switched off. Busy days, social plans, late nights, and caffeine can all keep cortisol elevated longer.
Magnesium plays a role in nervous system regulation and relaxation, helping your body downshift after stress. When magnesium intake is adequate, you’ll feel less wired in the evenings and less depleted the following day.
B vitamins for keeping energy steady
B vitamins are involved in converting food into usable energy and supporting neurotransmitter pathways linked to focus and emotional regulation. During the festive season, when meals are irregular and mental load is high, these pathways are often under more strain.
Vitamin B6, folate, and B12 are particularly relevant when energy feels flat or scattered rather than physically exhausted. Taken consistently, they can help smooth out the peaks and dips that come from stress-related fatigue, making energy feel more usable across long days.
Inositol and chromium for fewer crashes
Inositol and chromium are often included in formulations designed to support insulin sensitivity and glucose handling. When blood sugar is better regulated, the body is less likely to rely on cortisol to keep energy levels up — reducing that mid-afternoon slump that sends you reaching for more caffeine.
Key Takeaways
Everyone loves the holidays until disrupted routines, elevated stress, and a less balanced diet cause energy to dip. Reaching for caffeine can offer short-term relief, but it often leads to sharper crashes later on.
Small shifts in how you fuel yourself, manage stress, and support your system can help energy feel more consistent, even when schedules aren’t.
Nutrients like magnesium, B-vitamins, and inositol can support the nervous system, blood sugar balance, and energy regulation — helping your body back to balance.
