Treatment Of Spring Asthenia

When the days start to get warmer and the sun begins to shine brighter thanks to the arrival of spring, many people have even said that they suffer from spring asthenia. However, the truth is that this term does not refer to a disease that really exists.

Next we will discuss the treatment of spring asthenia, based on its supposed causes. For this we will also briefly explain what this condition consists of.

Spring asthenia: a discomfort not recognized as a disease

There is a clear heterogeneity in terms of symptoms experienced during spring asthenia. Among them, the most frequent are tiredness, sadness, apathy, sleep disturbances and lack of appetite.

Irritability, anxiety, concentration problems, decreased libido and headaches are also sometimes present.

But why are all these unspecific changes due? To explain it, we will elucidate what happens to our organism at the beginning of spring.

Changes experienced during the spring

First and foremost, the weather changes: temperatures and atmospheric pressure increase. The hours of daylight also increase, and the time change is associated with this (the clocks move forward).

Thus, our habits and routines are altered (for example, we eat an hour earlier than before the time change).

Thus, the circadian rhythms that were already established to adapt to the new environment are re-regulated. This is accomplished through changes in the secretion of hormones such as endorphins, cortisol, or melatonin.

But they are not regulated in any way, but the organism prepares itself to function under environmental conditions that require more energy consumption.

The bodies that do not achieve it, or that achieve it more slowly, are the ones that show spring asthenia most markedly.

Treatment of spring asthenia

As we have already explained, the one we are dealing with is by no means a well-identified syndrome. Therefore, there is no curative treatment.

However, it is possible to develop a treatment for spring asthenia that accelerates the body’s adaptation process.

1. Anticipate the time change

An effective way to treat spring asthenia is to anticipate the jet lag. We can, therefore, gradually adapt our routines to the new hour that is about to change.

For this, our eating and sleeping schedules (those that mainly determine our “biorhythms”) should be regular.

As for sleep, spring asthenia causes alterations due to changes in the secretion of melatonin (the hormone that regulates it), making it more difficult to fall asleep and causing poorly restorative dreams.

That is why it is important to maintain good sleep hygiene:

• Go to bed and get up always at the same time, sleeping enough hours.
• Eat dinner at least an hour before going to sleep.
• Reserve the bedroom only for sleeping and keep it at a suitable temperature.

In this regard it is also beneficial to exercise because falling asleep will be easier and it will be more restful.

In addition, we will produce endorphins (the “happiness hormone”), which will make us feel better and more energetic.

2. Get nourished properly

The new environmental conditions generate new needs in the body and discard needs that existed before.

A good example is hypercaloric meals, necessary in the cold winter. They are no longer necessary and therefore we should avoid them especially as spring approaches.

At the same time, we should include more fresh fruits and vegetables in our diet. They contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals, as well as a large percentage of water, which is very necessary in this new era.

In a special way, banana and pineapple are recommended in terms of fruit. Other beneficial foods are turkey, chicken and oily fish because they contain large amounts of tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin (another hormone related to spring asthenia).

It is also often recommended to take royal jelly and ginseng, because they increase performance and are also good sources of vitamins and minerals. The same thing happens with nuts, a good source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

We reiterate the need for proper hydration, because the higher the temperature, the more you sweat. Although it seems a negligible loss, the truth is that you can lose a lot of fluids through sweat.

Keep in mind that the intake of fluids (especially water) is an important point in the treatment of spring asthenia.

Other recommendations

Spring asthenia seems to be a time during which the organism regulates itself for new environmental conditions.

For this reason, we must avoid any substance that stimulates it, since by changing the rhythm of operation momentarily, we can stop that regulation.

So, if we want to achieve a correct treatment of spring asthenia, we must avoid substances such as coffee, tea or tobacco as much as possible.

On the other hand, it has been seen that allergy sufferers have more pronounced symptoms of spring asthenia. This is why they should seek careful control of their disease, strictly following the treatment.