When the birds chirp their songs, the crocuses poke their heads out of the ground and the first rays of sunshine tickle your skin, it’s that time again: spring has arrived.
But not everyone can enjoy the awakening of nature. Spring fatigue is the name of the phenomenon in which people feel tired and exhausted due to the season. Where does it come from, who does it affect – and how do you get rid of tiredness?
Winter means energy saving mode
“It is ultimately a process of the body adapting to the changing season,” says Christa Roth-Sackenheim. She is a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy and second chairwoman of the Professional Association of German Psychiatrists. According to her, spring fatigue is an “ancient biological process that we find in many living beings.”
During the winter, our body is in energy saving mode: Since we are outside less, sunlight is not absorbed through the skin or the retina. As a result, the brain releases more melatonin and the body is more prepared for sleep and rest. “There are experts who say this is a remnant of hibernation,” says Christa Roth-Sackenheim.
In spring, some bodies need a little more time to adjust to longer days, shorter nights and higher temperatures, says the psychiatrist.
The time change messes up your biorhythm
However, the topic of spring fatigue should not be overemphasized. At least that’s how Prof. Helmut Schatz, board member of the German Society for Endocrinology, sees it. “There is no such thing as spring fatigue,” he says. However, the time change could lead to increased tiredness and fatigue – similar to jet lag – but this should only last a few days.
Schatz explains: “In connection with the time change, the release of melatonin in the body changes.” Melatonin is the hormone that crucially controls our sleep-wake rhythm. With consequences for the days after the time change, which this year takes place on the night of March 31st. “During this time, for example, there are around 15 percent more accidents, as statistics show,” says Helmut Schatz.
This helps against spring fatigue
No matter how exactly the fatigue came about: If the body’s biorhythm is out of balance, what helps is a healthy lifestyle and confrontation with the new situation.
“You shouldn’t withdraw or sleep extra,” says Christa Roth-Sackenheim. “Instead, it helps to go outside. This means that the influences of the weather affect the body more directly and the stimuli are processed better. The body adapts more quickly.”
A balanced diet can also help against fatigue. “Eat as little highly processed foods and white sugar as possible. Cook freshly and drink plenty. Then the body is well cared for,” advises the psychiatrist.
Helmut Schatz also recommends “completely natural lifestyle measures”, i.e. doing sports, going for a walk or spending time in nature.
So at a glance:
Look out instead of withdrawing Balanced diet (cooking with fresh ingredients, little sugar and processed foods, drinking a lot) Sport and exercise Spending time in nature
Pills and drops are unnecessary
In his opinion, supplements such as vitamin D are not necessary: “If you go out for about 15 to 20 minutes every day with your face and hands uncovered, you have absorbed enough vitamin D and do not need to take any supplements.” And he also believes in melatonin drops the expert doesn’t do much in connection with short-term fatigue. “They go straight to the stomach and don’t even reach the brain,” says Schatz.
By the way: People who exercise regularly tend to be less likely and less severely affected by spring fatigue. And: “People who work outside a lot usually hardly notice anything,” says Christa Roth-Sackenheim. In principle, anyone can be affected by seasonal fatigue.
After two weeks go to the doctor
According to Schatz, prolonged fatigue and exhaustion occur primarily in people with a basic depressive disposition. They would not be able to keep up with the awakening of nature in spring – their depression would then intensify. And Christa Roth-Sackenheim also says: “Seasonal depression, which occurs more frequently in winter, can also lead to increased fatigue.”
As a rule of thumb: If the fatigue does not improve or even worsens over a period of more than two weeks, the psychiatrist believes it is likely that it is not spring fatigue.
Then the first step should be to see your family doctor. He or she can determine: Is there perhaps an underactive thyroid, an iron deficiency, a chronic infection, an autoimmune disease or depression? These are all illnesses that can also cause severe fatigue.