With the longer days, typical springtime fatigue often makes itself felt from mid-March to mid-April.
Springtime Lethargy typically occurs in places where temperature and light conditions change markedly with the seasons. Springtime Lethargy is not an illness. It is simply a side effect of our body’s processes as it adapts to the brighter and warmer times. In winter, our body protects itself by lowering the temperature by a few tenths of a degree, slightly increasing blood pressure, and producing more of the sleep hormone melatonin.
As soon as the sun shines longer again, the body reacts again by changing its metabolism. Only slowly does the growing UV radiation reduce the production of the sleep hormone melatonin in order to stimulate the production of the happiness hormone serotonin instead. The circulatory system doesn’t really get going for the time being because melatonin still keeps us tuned to darkness.
A balanced diet, a daily rhythm adapted to the sun (get up early – go to bed early), regular walks outdoors and enough exercise will quickly eliminate springtime lethargy.
Text from FITforLIFE – This blog post was provided to us by the Swiss magazine FIT for LIFE. If you want to read regularly informative knowledge articles in the field of running and endurance sports, click here.
