Your Multivitamin Might Be Missing This One Thing

In this School of Doza episode, Nurse Doza reframes "I'm so tired" as a code with five different signals—and shows how to read yours. He breaks down the five types of energy the body actually runs on: dopamine for drive, cortisol for the morning wake-up, blood sugar and mitochondria for cellular fuel, glutathione to clear cellular clutter, and NAD for turning food into energy. Instead of masking fatigue with more caffeine, he explains how to spot the one you're missing and fuel it.

FEATURED PARTNER

Boost by MSW Nutrition is the "multivitamin you can feel"—the raw-materials approach to energy Nurse Doza describes in this episode. One stick delivers a big hit of methylated B12, electrolytes and minerals, plus antioxidants like glutathione and vitamin C, and it uses a slow-release caffeine technology for steady, usable energy instead of a spike-and-crash (a Caffeine Free option is available too). That's why Boost is his go-to for filling the nutritional gaps behind low energy.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Boost is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Persistent fatigue can have medical causes—if you're pregnant or nursing, take prescription medication, or have ongoing symptoms, talk with your provider before starting a new supplement.

5 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Dopamine is your "let's go" energy. More than a pleasure chemical, dopamine drives the motivation and focus to actually start and finish tasks. If you feel physically capable of moving but have zero drive, a dopamine gap—not laziness—may be the issue.

Cortisol is your wake-up energy. A healthy morning cortisol rise is part of what gets you out of bed. When it runs low, fatigue can feel bone-deep and may show up alongside low mood, muscle aches, or dizziness—so a constant morning slump is worth examining (and worth a provider conversation if it persists).

Blood sugar control feeds your mitochondria. When blood sugar swings or cells stop responding to insulin well, the mitochondria can't produce energy efficiently and you crash. Steady blood sugar supports steady energy—and regular exercise is one of the best ways to improve insulin signaling.

Glutathione is your cellular cleanup crew. This master antioxidant helps reduce cellular damage; a cluttered, "dirty" cell can't make energy well. Supporting glutathione may support insulin sensitivity and that lighter, more-mobile feeling—so sluggishness can be a dirty engine, not just low fuel.

NAD powers the food-to-energy conversion. NAD is central to turning food into usable cellular energy, and B vitamins, resveratrol, and taurine support that pathway. Taurine is a standout: beyond heart support, its action on GABA receptors is tied to calm, steady energy instead of jitters.

RESOURCES
Based on peer-reviewed literature:

Dopamine, motivation & drive – Review of dopamine's role in effort-based decision making and the "activational" side of motivation. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2011. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3122071/
Low cortisol & fatigue – Review of hypocortisolism and its links to fatigue, burnout, and stress-related bodily disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2005. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15950390/
Blood sugar, exercise & muscle – Review of how exercise regulates glucose uptake and insulin signaling in skeletal muscle. Advances in Physiology Education, 2014. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4315445/
Glutathione, oxidative stress & insulin – Review of glutathione insufficiency, oxidative stress, and insulin function in type 2 diabetes. Biomedicines, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762874/
NAD, mitochondria & cellular energy – Review of NAD⁺ metabolism and its central role in mitochondrial function and energy production. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 2021. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41580-020-00313-x

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