Do your eyes keep closing during the day – even though everything outside is coming to life again and it’s light longer in the evening? Every year it strikes again: spring fatigue. But why actually?
The nights are getting shorter, peonies are sprouting from the ground and us? We wish we could close our eyes and ignore the entire spring awakening. The reason: We are exhausted – and not too close.
Getting up is a real challenge and when we finally do, we end up sitting limp in front of the laptop. What is the matter with us? With all the long-awaited sunshine, we should actually be bursting with joy and energy. But instead, we seem to be firmly on the side of the “back to hibernation” team.
Does spring fatigue really exist?
It’s not our imagination, we actually often feel weak in the spring. Spring fatigue is a confirmed phenomenon that typically occurs at the beginning of the new season – always when the first nice days are already behind us.
It occurs mainly at latitudes where the different seasons are associated with large fluctuations in temperature and light. So when it gets cold and dark early in winter and in summer we can spend endless amounts of time outside in our t-shirts.
That’s why the change from winter to spring makes you tired
Humans (like animals) are very adaptable to change. Our metabolism and hormones adapt to the climate. In winter, our body protects itself by minimally lowering its temperature. Blood pressure rises and more of the sleep hormone melatonin is produced.
This is what happens to the body when spring fatigue occurs
This process is extremely slow – the body has to adapt first. The problem: As soon as this has happened, spring is already around the corner.
This means another change for the body. Metabolism and hormonal balance get completely out of control. In addition, the melatonin only gradually disappears. Problems with dizziness and chronic fatigue are often the result.