Ways to Combat Spring Fatigue

Have you ever wondered why you feel tired and exhausted despite Mother Nature waking up and embracing the world with warmth and unique visuality? The name of this condition is “spring fatigue.” Even if you are not sick, the organisms in your body try to adapt to changes in the weather and increasingly long daylight hours. For this reason, your body's rhythm changes and you experience hormonal changes. Fortunately, this fatigue only lasts for a few weeks and you can begin to accompany nature's awakening. At this point, “What is spring fatigue? What is good for spring fatigue?” The answer to these questions is quite simple: In order to survive this process in the healthiest way, supplement what your body misses during the winter months with fresh air and a diet rich in vitamins. Here are some important tips to help you with this!

What is Spring Fatigue?

Temperatures gradually rise and nature awakens after cold, dark nights. However, many people feel unusually apathetic and tired during this reawakening period. This situation, also known as spring fatigue, is actually a reflection of the fact that we are a part of nature's cycle. Hormonal changes are experienced in the body, which is deprived of sunlight during the winter months, and this change process gives symptoms in the form of fatigue during the seasonal transitions. The symptoms of this subjective mood disorder can be different and vary in severity. The typical symptom is extreme fatigue. Others mood swings manifest as headaches, lack of concentration and insomnia.

What Causes Spring Fatigue?

“What causes spring fatigue?” To give a comprehensive answer to the question, we can explain it as follows: In winter, our body works low in hormones such as serotonin (stress reliever and happiness enhancer) due to shorter daylight hours, and the body produces more of the sleep hormone melatonin. However, spring brings with it longer and sunny daylight hours. Therefore, during this period, body temperature rises, blood vessels expand, blood pressure decreases. While the light causes the body to release more of the activity hormone serotonin, the amount of melatonin is still too high. The body cannot adapt to this change overnight, and as a result, most people feel tired, less motivated and sleepy.

In Which Months Does Spring Fatigue Occur?

“In which months does spring fatigue occur?” The question is one of the topics that most people are curious about. With the arrival of spring, the weather warms up and this heat change causes various changes in metabolism. These changes usually manifest themselves in the form of mental and physical differences. Spring starts in April and lasts until May.

Spring Fatigue Symptoms

Spring fatigue symptoms can be experienced in different ways in every person. People experience more weakness, boredom and fatigue in the spring, especially after the cold winter months. This can cause boredom even from routine work. Typical symptoms are:

• energy drop,
• Weakness,
• reluctant mood,
• Constant desire to sleep
• Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
• Experiencing muscle and joint pain,
• Headache,
• Concentration difficulties.

Spring Fatigue Warrior: Walking and Sleeping

Nothing makes you feel happier than being outside! You modulate stress hormones, increase endorphins, and increase serotonin secretion. Thus, your mood will improve. A light-paced walk outdoors helps you relax. It's also good for the heart to spend time outside. Moreover, by taking regular walks in the open air, you can increase your mental performance and fight with concentration difficulties, which are likely to be experienced with spring. During this period, active brisk walking 3 days a week should be supported with 6-8 hours of sleep. Exercising regularly helps balance body weight, accelerate metabolism, and make the person feel healthier and fitter. Exercises such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming and dancing should be preferred. Since irregular sleep will make the person feel more tired, care should be taken to sleep 6-8 hours every day.

An Effective Support: Nutrition

“How is the spring fatigue?” One of the answers to the question is nutrition. A balanced diet is a condition that needs attention throughout life, but when it comes to spring fatigue, a diet rich in vitamins is of great importance. So, which vitamin is good for spring fatigue? Here are these vitamins and foods that are good for spring fatigue:

• Vitamin B and Omega-3 are the vitamins that should be taken during this period. For these vitamins, you should include whole-grain bread, dairy products, legumes, chicken, eggs, red meat and green leafy vegetables in your diet.
• In order to benefit from the stress-reducing effect of omega-3 fatty acids, you should consume salmon once or twice a week, and 2-3 walnuts or hazelnuts every morning.
• It is useful to give weight to pulpy foods during this period. For this reason, vegetable food and salad should be consumed. During the day, 5 or 6 servings of fruit are necessary for a healthy diet.
• Egg, which is an iron store, is also a food that should be given weight in this period. High protein eggs also contain iron, iodine, selenium and zinc.
• Kefir, which is rich in probiotic bacteria, should be consumed instead of coffee and soda. Kefir helps both to strengthen the immune system and to increase tolerance to seasonal changes.
• You can increase body resistance by consuming 1 serving of strawberries a day.
• You should definitely include pineapple rich in vitamin C and fiber in your diet.
• With the potassium source banana, you can overcome the muscle difficulties experienced in the spring period.
• Artichoke, a source of vitamins A, C, fiber and potassium, is among the vegetables that will give you vigor. You can add this vegetable raw to salads or consume it by cooking.
• You should also pay attention to consuming greens at every meal. You can make a lemon salad with basil, arugula, parsley and mint and spend the spring energetically.
• Omega 3 rich purslane is one of the most important vegetables of spring. Purslane, which has a high water content, meets the body's water needs and also helps to strengthen immunity. It also replenishes the body's calcium and iron stores. For this reason, you can make a yogurt salad with purslane twice a week or cook it with olive oil and consume it.
• Other foods you should consume to combat spring fatigue are dark chocolate, oats, sesame and flax seeds, avocado.