Springtime fatigue – how to deal with it?

In an interview with Dr Jürgen Zapf, specialist for general, sports and nutritional medicine, chirotherapy and acupuncture in Bayreuth, he talks about the medical background to springtime fatigue and gives tips for more energy during the first few months of the year.

Dr Zapf has been practising for years and treats people at his practice in Bayreuth who want to increase their feelings of well-being by adhering to a healthy lifestyle, special dietary concepts and sporting activities.

Dr Zapf describes which processes in the human body lead to this almost endemic springtime fatigue

Springtime fatigue describes a constellation of symptoms with the cardinal symptoms of fatigue and reduced physical and intellectual performance - or even low mood. These symptoms typically present in March and April: this is when the temperatures as well as the lengths of the days and nights change dramatically in a very short time. The body reacts to such stress by regulating the hormone balance and the circulation. And it's just these processes that many people find arduous and tiring.

Do you treat many patients with springtime fatigue?

Since springtime fatigue is neither an illness nor a medical diagnosis, it is never recorded as an official reason for treatment in a doctor's surgery. However, we do regularly observe an increase in such moods in the early spring.

It is thought that about 30 to 50 percent of Germans are affected by springtime fatigue at a time in the year when we would expect people to feel better, those at higher risk are people who have rather low blood pressure. Young women have to battle against springtime fatigue more often than men or older people.

What do you recommend to those affected?

The reality of life is, instead of being able to spend all day long out of doors in the sunlight, being physically active, these  hours of daylight are mostly spent sitting or standing at work, with artificial lighting instead of sunlight - all this is an obstacle to a rapid adaptation to the "active summer mode". Being outside reduces the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and brings the circulation and blood pressure up to speed. Therefore, if we get out and move around in the fresh air as often as possible, no matter whether with sports, hiking, strolling around or even working in the garden, we help reduce the sleep hormone and feel happier.

How can we keep our circulation on the move?

The best remedy for morning tiredness is a cold shower, even if that's difficult at first: showering in cold water stimulates the circulation. Walking barefoot over dewy grass in the morning is also suitable for those who prefer a somewhat gentler method.

Coffee, tea, energy drinks - what really helps against springtime fatigue?

If you battle against fatigue all day long with coffee and energy drinks without treating your body to the occasional rest, you deplete your powers of regeneration and actually make their fatigue worse. This results in the need to grab a coffee all the more often to avoid a "crash". This is because caffeine in coffee and energy drinks and the tanine in tea are both stimulants, so they perk us up. In small volumes in the morning, as a lovely cup of coffee or tea, they activate our attention and concentration in a very agreeable way.

What "power foods" boost our metabolism?

Everything that mother nature provides that is fresh, colourful and more alkaline than acidic: fresh vegetables, fruit etc while our ancestors had to wait a long time for the first harvests, today we have the opportunity to buy fresh foods all year round.

When are sporting activities more useful, in the morning or in the evening?

Moderate sporting activity can be performed both in the morning and the evening up until around 9pm and it wont disturb our daily work or our ability to sleep, this is because moderate activity activates the body without tiring it, within one or 2 hours the body switches from active to recovery mode. Conversely, high intensity sports are better carried out during the day as the body needs several hours to switch to recovery mode. Intensive sports in the evening can make it harder to fall asleep and enjoy a restful night. After exhausting training, general physical and mental fitness are impaired for quite some time, so a longer rest is needed after training, even during the day.

What types of sport do you recommend?

Outdoors sports, carried out during daylight hours are the best. The actual type of sport is not as important as the intensity and the duration. When trying to combat springtime fatigue, the enjoyment and fun in physical exercise are far more important than a purely performance-based mindset.

Choose something you enjoy from an extensive range of activities from games such as football, tennis and volleyball to hiking, jogging, cycling, skating and even golf, rock climbing and all other forms of movement – just make it outdoors.

#insomnia, #stress.

https://www.mediuk.co.uk/shop/compression/healthy-life/beauty-and-lifestyle/springtime-fatigue/