Spring Fatigue – avoid it naturally
Spring arrives and the blue sky is part of the pattern of warmer temperatures and the fragrance of nature awakening. However, some people instead of flourishing in this environment see their energy, performance and well-being diminish.
This contradiction has a cause summarized in two words: spring fatigue. It affects more than half the population, according to a survey conducted by the Centre for Research on Phytotherapy (INFITO).
Based on the same source we know that among the population it is mainly women between the ages of 35 and 50 who suffer from spring fatigue. In addition, there are those who suffer allergies. Also affected are self-employed workers (40%) and students (23%).
Andrea Calderón, a nutritionist at the Spanish Society of Dietetics and Food Science (SEDCA), states in Infosalus that “fatigue is characterized by a state of weakness and lassitude that leads to an inability to perform routine activities and a decrease in appetite”.
Spring fatigue, also called asthenia, is not a disease, but merely a temporary disorder that requires rather than medical attention an improvement in habits. Normally it lasts between 10 and 20 days, the time the body takes to adapt to the new condition. If symptoms continue longer than a month, it could be due to another type of problem, such as an allergy or anaemia.
More than 50% of the population has lower energy levels with the bright arrival of spring.
What is the cause?
The main cause is the change of timetable that occurs in early spring, which affects our circadian rhythm hormones. Our body requires a period of adaptation to the new schedule, with its corresponding increase in daylight hours. This imbalance affects our sleep patterns and this in turn our sleep.
Spring fatigue is not a disease, but merely a temporary disorder”.
In addition, the beginning of spring is a period with marked temperature changes, a factor that also alters the balance of our body.
Likewise, fatigue causes lack of appetite, accentuating the vicious circle by encouraging us to eat badly.
Pollen allergies, which return with a vengeance in the springtime (pollen also occurs in other seasons), are a different problem but combine with fatigue to increase fatigue, discomfort and lassitude
How to overcome fatigue?
To cope with this spring affliction, the best solution is a natural one: to optimise our nutritional, sleep and physical activity habits.
It is the moment to choose food with a high nutritional intake and eat five light meals per day, in order to maintain energy levels without suffering from a heavy digestion. Dinner, especially, should be light in order not to affect one´s sleep.
Moringa oleifera Leaves, which concentrate large amount of micro and macro nutrients, excellent for re-balancing energy levels.
It is advisable to add to our diet functional energizing foods such as royal jelly or Moringa oleifera. These nutraceuticals with their high concentration of nutrients act as revitalizers that help us to recover vital activity and increase our body´s resistance to fatigue.
This happens because they contain abundant vitamins, such as C, E, A, K and group B vitamins, in addition to other micronutrients like minerals and antioxidants.
Likewise they provide complete protein, which among other amino acids includes tryptophan, a natural antidepressant, because it favours the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which regulates mood and sleep.
It is also desirable to increase hydration, as a way of maintaining all the physiological functions in good order. A drop of just 1% or 2% in our body water percentage causes greater tiredness.
It’s time to choose food with a high-nutritional value.”
As we have seen, spring fatigue is due in large part to the alteration in our sleep patterns. It is, therefore, necessary to increase the amount we sleep in order to compensate for the possible temporary loss of healthy sleep.
The third key to recovering energy is through stepping up our physical activity, especially by practising a sport that we enjoy, which has a positive psychosomatic effect. Physical exercise produces endorphins, hormones that release stress, improve our state of mind and increase our well-being. If one is allergic, exercise should be performed indoors to minimize exposure to environmental allergens that proliferate in this season.
Physical exercise helps to regain the vitality that asthenia depletes.
