The unpleasant side effects of spring

Spring fatigue and hay fever plague many people in spring

03/19/2015

Spring is here! Temperatures around 20 degrees and sunshine attract many outdoors. But despite the nice weather, not a few people suffer from spring tiredness, spring depression or hay fever. In conversation with the news agency „dpa“ Experts explain the background of the unpleasant side effects of spring and give tips to escape them. For example, the change to higher temperatures, more light and increased physical activity cause an increasing energy requirement, which could be accompanied by increased fatigue.

Spring fatigue: Unresponsive and permanently tired
In the first place, the news agency calls the well-known spring fatigue as an unpleasant side effect of the spring. Many people are plagued by chronic fatigue and listlessness in the spring, while outside the sun is shining and life is awakening. For the transition to warmer temperatures and more light and for the increased level of physical activity, the body needs a lot of energy, which could be associated with increased fatigue. The simultaneously low serotonin level could also have an influence here. However, the phenomenon of spring fatigue has not been researched in detail until today. „Why should one investigate that - it's not a disease“, Dieter Kunz, Chief Physician of the Department of Sleep and Chronomedicine at the St. Hedwig Hospital in Berlin „dpa“ cited. For the experts, the spring fatigue is even a cause for joy, because it shows that the inner clock is still working properly.

Spring depression in the course of spring
According to the head physician from Berlin, spring depressions can also be the consequence of changes in the organism during the first sunny days. „There are a lot of little cogs that have to change. It's sand in the clockwork - and there it crunches“, quotes the „dpa“ the experts. The mood of those affected is clouded and the happy activity in their environment also beats them on the mind. However, according to Kunz, the spring depressions are generally not a true depression, and light and exercise in the fresh air usually improve the mood of those affected considerably.

Incorporating pollen for hay fever patients uncomfortable
Other unpleasant side effects of spring are directly attributable to the awakening life in nature. For example, as a result of the mild weather, there is an increasing amount of pollen in the air, which causes problems for patients suffering from hay fever. After all, 15 to 20 percent of the population, according to the allergist Ulf Darsow of the Technical University of Munich to govern „dpa“ allergic to various pollen. At present, an intense pollen count has already been noted. „The hazelnuts fly - and that considerably“, becomes Darsow of the „dpa“ cited. Especially on the warmer days this leads to complaints. With the upcoming use of pollen from alder and birch and then from willows and elm, the situation for many hayfever patients even more unpleasant.

Awakening ticks in spring
Even ticks come to life with the mild weather in spring and can end the first trips into the open with an unpleasant surprise. In the case of a sting, the transmission of diseases such as Lyme disease or an early-summer meningoencephalitis (FSME) is imminent, with Southern Germany in particular being considered a TBE risk area. Last year, according to the „dpa“ 265 people in Germany infected with FSME. The crawlers only stop their activity during the winter months and mild winters benefit their populations. For example, ticks can be expected more frequently on excursions into the open air this spring.

Mini jet lag due to time change
Last but not least, the changeover of time at the end of March also causes many people to feel the mood in the spring, according to the announcement of the „dpa“. Some find the associated mini-jetlag particularly hard. For example, patients who need to take their medicines on time, or shiftworkers who are already suffering from the irregularities, often experience more difficulty switching to summer time. Dairy farming already seems to be a step further here, because to avoid a clutter in the milking rhythm, the animals are gently re-used to the summer time. „Dairy farms and cattle farmers have started to milking in five-minute increments earlier for a smooth transition“, quotes the „dpa“ Markus Peters from the Bavarian Farmers Association. A regulation that could possibly also alleviate the negative effects of the abrupt change of time in humans. (Ag)