How to Handle Spring Fatigue

Spring is coming, hurray! Sunshine, flowers, birds, breeze in your hair; allergies and spring fatigue, yay. You would like to enjoy this overall waking of nature, and the great weather, but your body just won’t let you. You are definitely not alone in that, as spring fatigue is a very common health problem.

It is caused by the hormonal change induced by more hours of daily light and sunshine after the winter low serotonin period, and now our body simply needs to adjust to this new hormone boost. So instead of basking in the precious sunlight, you would rather just doze off. It is not easy to resist this urge to spend all day in the company of your mattress and pillows, but here are a few tips on how to overcome this inconvenience.

Turn To Water for Help

Water is known to raise your blood pressure and keep you awake, so make sure you drink enough of it. It will also cleanse your body from the toxins accumulated during winter. Even when it’s not spring, dehydration causes fatigue and headache, so you definitely don’t want to do that to your organism in general, and especially not during spring.

Also, a morning shower with cool water can help you wake up easier and to stay awake. So even if you prefer taking a shower at night, maybe you can switch it to the morning at least during spring. Even more efficient than showering with cold water is actually alternating cold and hot water as this will improve your circulation. So water is your best friend in this drowsy period.

Sleep

Yes, well, you do have to sleep sometimes. So make sure you get a good night’s rest in a well-aired room, on an adequate and comfortable mattress and pillow, preferably allergens free, as you don’t need more trouble on top of the potential spring allergies, and the dreaded fatigue.

And yes, if you’ve tried everything, but are still struggling to keep your eyes open during the day, do take that power nap. Sometimes that’s really the only solution. But if you follow the pieces of advice given above, the number of times you really need to doze off should at least be reduced.

Eat Less, But More Often

I’m sure you can empirically confirm the so-called postprandial somnolence, i.e. drowsiness after a substantial meal. Well, it only gets worse in spring so you’ll want to go light on your food intake. Instead of big, heavy, greasy meals, try to introduce more light ones. So start eating five times a day, but smaller amounts of food.

Also, try to avoid alcohol, and make sure your every meal includes fresh vegetables or fruit, most importantly the source of vitamins C and B1. Of course, breakfast remains the most important meal of the day and should be rich and nutritious, just not too salty.

Get Some (More) Exercise

These tips could all be applied to everyday life, but if you’re not exactly a disciplined type of person, at least try to apply them during this period of increased fatigue. Some exercise will really do you good, especially if you can do it outdoors, in the sunshine and fresh air. If not, at least try to combine the two, make sure you spend at least 15 minutes in the sun, as it will boost your vitamin D. And some good exercise will help you increase the energy and strength.

Also, a walk or jogging sounds like a perfect combination. You get to spend some time in the sunshine and you do some exercise at the same time, helping you get enough vitamin D, improving your circulation and increasing the level of oxygen in your blood.

Breathe

Again, make sure your brain gets enough oxygen, so you can try introducing some breathing exercises, or simply taking 10 deep breaths every morning, and being conscious of your breath while doing it. This will also help you relax, as, besides fatigue, spring can bring some emotional agitation as well. Speaking of which, you can try practicing some meditation and other relaxing techniques.

3/23/18 Happy Friday everyone! I had a much better week besides some lingering anxiety. Hopefully, that resolves soon!