By Kay Quinn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 15, 2006

The alarm clock goes off, and so begins another day packed with enough activities to fill 48 hours, let alone 24. Between working outside the home, taking care of the house, making meals - including the ones the kids carry to school - and nurturing your relationship with your significant other, it''s no wonder many of us are feeling sapped of energy.

"I think sometime the tiredness is an important signal that maybe we need to re-evaluate and think, is there a way I could handle this better? Do I really need to be doing all these things?" suggested Dr. Katherine Mathews, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Cut back on our workload? It almost seems like an admission that we can''t do it all. But for anyone looking to restore their energy, Mathews believes it''s one of the things you should consider if you''re chronically pooped.

"In some ways, I''m much more careful about my energy than I used to be," says Mathews, who kept very long hours as a resident. She''s now the mother of a 2-year-old, and once again challenged by the demands on her time.

Here''s her advice on restoring energy:

Sleep and stress. If you''re not getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night, chances are you''re feeling tired. High levels of stress can also make you feel tired, even if you are sleeping eight hours.

"I think every person needs to ask herself, is this the amount of stress I''m willing to tolerate?" said Mathews. "Is this too much, and do I need to do something to change that?"

Nutrition and exercise. Take a hard look at what you eat. Getting more protein earlier in the day may give you an energy boost. Consider cutting back on sugar, which can lead to energy-robbing drops in blood sugar. Exercise is good, but too much may undermine your energy. In reality, getting 30 minutes of active movement per day is adequate for well-being, and people who are really busy can do it in three 10-minute chunks.

Medical checkups. Low iron and thyroid levels can erode your energy. So can depression. If you''ve been feeling lethargic for more than two weeks and don''t have an interest in activities you previously enjoyed, talk to your doctor.

Time for yourself. This is usually the first thing to go. But even if it means getting up a little earlier, making time to do something you enjoy each day could be the key to surviving all of the demands you face.

"It can be hard to do it and can mean making choices," Mathews said. "It can mean not doing things we typically did in the past, and maybe not being available to people the way we used to be available."

But it can also be key to feeling more like your old energetic self again.

Kay Quinn is an anchorwoman and reporter at KSDK (Channel 5).