Spring Fatigue Causes, Symptoms and Countermeasures

Tips and ideas for more energy in spring

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe saw the month of hope in April: "Stream and brooks are liberated from the ice by spring-inspiring eyes, in the valley greets hope," he wrote in the "Osterspaziergang" in the first part of Faust. But hope also means that spring can not be trusted. The peasant wisdom brings the skepticism to the point. Sometimes it is warm as in summer, then the sky darkens and it is snowing. Then again follows hail and rain.

contents

• Tips and ideas for more energy in spring
• Why does "April do what he wants"?
• Cold from the north, heat from the south
• spring feelings
• Spring fever
• What to do against drowsiness?
• Medicinal herbs in April
• wild garlic
• cowslips
• coltsfoot
• valerian
• lungwort
• Elecampane
• lady's mantle
• violet
• watercress
• The spring flowers
• Healthy in the spring
• Outdoor exercise
• vitamin C
• Keeping allergies at bay
• Principles for pollen allergy in spring
• Home remedies for pollen allergy sufferers in April
• Do not exaggerate
• Asparagus - the popular spring vegetables
• How do you recognize fresh asparagus??
• rhubarb

Why does "April do what he wants"?

April is the first "real" spring month for us. The sun crosses the equator in March and wanders north. On the Mediterranean, it is now warming summer. The North Sea and the Atlantic are opposed in our latitudes - the sun is already warming up the country, but in the water it needs much longer because the sea reflects part of the warming sunshine. In addition, the warm water layer on the surface constantly mixes with the cold water of the depth.

In spring, spring really gets going. (Image: Janina Dierks / fotolia.com)

Cold from the north, heat from the south

The difference in temperature between water and land is enormous, and as a result, high and low pressure areas change much faster than in summer. The cold air gathers over the North Sea and flows into the south, it gets cold as in winter. If, on the other hand, the air from the south comes to Germany, then it gets almost as hot as in summer.

spring feelings

The spring feelings that spring up in April are not just a literary function, but the sometimes warm temperatures and especially the prolonged sunlight have an effect on our senses.

We smell the early bloomers and the sprouting grass, our eyes absorb the greater amount of light, and our skin reacts to the heat. These external stimuli set the hormones in motion in the body. Our level of serotonin increases and thus the feeling of happiness, as well as the organism releases dopamine and norepinephrine. At the same time, the level of melatonin decreases, making you drowsy. Firstly, we feel happier and secondly more alert, our body is pushing for action.

Spring fever

But how come spring fatigue? This is just as little a fairy tale as the spring feelings. It is rampant especially in April, which "does what it wants". Although warmer temperatures and longer days provide greater activity, changing from the cold of winter to warmth does not work seamlessly for the body - especially when cold and heat bounce back and forth.

Spring fatigue usually occurs when it was warm for a few days and then cold again. In crazy April, when cold-hot-warm-cold-cold-warm twirl around happily, the blood vessels dilate, and blood pressure drops. We get tired.

What to do against drowsiness?

In order to avoid the spring fatigue, it helps, above all, to use the higher temperatures and longer days.

1) Spend as much time as possible outside in the sun and in the sometimes rising temperatures. Light is awake.

2) Move in the fresh air. Hike, work in the garden, ride a bike. Moderate exercise compensates for blood pressure, boosts the production of hormones and strengthens the biochemistry of the immune system.

In order to eliminate the spring fatigue, you should spend as much time as possible in the fresh air. (Image: Halfpoint / fotolia.com)

Medicinal herbs in April

April is a month of spring flowers, buds and germs. You can now collect a lot of medicinal herbs, dry them, make them into teas or use them as a vegetable. This includes:

Adonis, angelica, comfrey, birch, stinging nettle, cress, gentian, Gundermann, wild garlic or calamus. Also available are kitchen herbs such as lovage and rosemary, as well as violets, pansies, stork bills and cowslips. Last but not least, April is the month of pussy willow that is missing in any Easter shrub.

Equally important are the leaves of the willows. A tea drained from them helps against pain, inflammation and fever. The willow leaves contain salicylic acid, the raw material for aspirin.

wild garlic

Now is the best time to harvest the leaves of wild garlic. This relative of garlic has the advantage that we do not exhale its fragrances through the skin. This prevents the chlorophyll in the leaves. Like garlic, wild garlic cleanses and detoxifies the intestinal tract and the blood.

Wild garlic can be processed in many ways: as a pesto for pasta, as a spread, in soups, sauces and salads, pickled as wild garlic oil or with quark and yoghurt as a dip.

Wild garlic blooms in April, and it is best to harvest the leaves before flowering, as the flowers take much of the taste of the plant.

Pasta with homemade wild garlic pesto is a delicious spring dish. (Image: Doris Heinrichs / fotolia.com)

cowslips

An insider tip in the natural kitchen are the cowslips. They bloom in April in the countryside on poor meadows. Attention: The rare plants are protected. Please only use flowers from your own garden.

The flowers make an effective cough tea, which, rarely for cough medicine, also tastes good - a little like honey. The leaves go well with salads and green vegetables.

coltsfoot

At the same time the coltsfoot flowers. We can mix the flowers as well as the buds in salads or process them into vegetable cakes. Coltsfoot is full of minerals, the leaves and flowers are the basis for cough teas.

valerian

The leaves of the valerian sprout in the beginning to the middle of April, and then you should harvest them, because at the end of the month the plant flowers and the leaves lose their aroma. However, the leaves are edible from April to October.

The fresh shoots taste particularly intense and are reminiscent of lamb's lettuce. They can be prepared as a salad, boiled in soups or used for spreads with quark or smoothies. The dried leaves make a good tea and can be used for herbal mixtures.

Valerian loves humus, wet meadows, riparian zones and the edge of the forest. He does not like the blazing sun.

lungwort

The leaves of the lungwort are suitable for salads in April, now the plant also flowers, and the flowers can be processed in spreads and teas. Lungwort purifies the airways, is a good home remedy for coughing and improves the healing of wounds.

Elecampane

In the fourth month of the year sprout the leaves of the Alants, which grows in sparse forests and the wayside. You give your own note in a vegetable soup, but you should first let the leaves in warm water to relieve the bitter taste of the raw state.

Applied externally, the leaves disinfect, in soup or tea they help against coughing.

lady's mantle

The leaves of the woman's coat can now be harvested. They are suitable for salads, soups and casseroles. For casseroles, we use them similar to savoy cabbage.

Lady's mantle in tea promotes digestion, relieves cramps, helps against headaches and problems falling asleep.

violet

The violet flowers from March to April at the edge of the forest and in the garden. The flowers and buds we can enjoy raw and give in fruit salads. They give fruit juices a special flavor, spice jams and honey, are suitable for teas and jellies.

Violet cleanses the blood, helps against rheumatic pains and cough.

Cress is a versatile spice herb and can be easily pulled at home. (Image: Rangzen / fotolia.com)

watercress

Cress likes it moist, so it grows on the banks of streams and lakes. From April we can harvest the leaves. They are cut to size for dips, spreads, salads, soups, sauces, herb butter and herbal oils.

Watercress has an antibacterial effect and relieves the symptoms of a cold. It stimulates digestion and helps with stomach and intestinal complaints.

The spring flowers

The first "real" spring month delights us with intense scents. After the early bloomers like snowdrops, crocuses and march beakers, it's time to get started. Many gardening enthusiasts consider April the most beautiful month of the year: the area is still so free that the individual flowers come into their own, yet are so enlivened that they show their splendor of color.

These aromatic plants include the cone flower with pale blue flowers and blue longitudinal stripes, the ordinary dandelion, the common night violet in violet and the poet narcissus.

Healthy in the spring

The change from cold to warm, rain to sun is a paradise for colds. For allergy sufferers, the massive pollen count becomes a problem. Wind and rising temperatures make pollen omnipresent.

At least one cold can be prevented, especially by outdoor exercise and a balanced diet.

Outdoor exercise

Exercise outside vents the lungs and drives the circulation, making it more difficult for cold viruses to invade. Every day a walk of more than half an hour is enough to reduce the risk of cold. In addition, you can go to the gym.

In April, you can also start with a variety of outdoor sports. For swimming in nature, it is still too cold for most, but climbing, mountaineering or hiking in the woods requires less effort than in winter.

vitamin C

To prevent a cold, good nutrition is advisable. Vitamin C revives the immune system, it helps prevent a cold, but it's of no use to cure an existing cold.

High levels of vitamin C include citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons or limes, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, peppers and spinach. In spring, you can also add vitamin C to fresh rhubarb.

In general, take on your daily diet on many vitamins and minerals, but little fat and little sugar.

Sufficient sleep is very important to keep the immune system fit. (Image: Rido / fotolia.com)

Watch for enough sleep right now as the days get longer. Lack of sleep is an underrated trigger for colds because it weakens the immune system.

Keeping allergies at bay

For pollen allergy sufferers, April is a risky month. Some of the largest pollen dispersers, rape, birch and willow, are now distributing their pollen to the wind. The massive expansion of rapeseed areas for the production of biofuel ensured that the amount of rape pollen in the last decades skyrocketed.

Allergy sufferers help themselves through information: Take a look at this time in the pollen calendar, which pollens are currently on the road. The basic rule is: In calm and cold, "pure air", the stronger the wind and the higher the temperature, the more pollen fly around.

Allergy pains can be overcome faster if you are in good overall physical condition. In turn, sport and healthy nutrition provide.

Principles for pollen allergy in spring

Pollen in the country mostly fly in the morning, in urban centers the stress is highest in the evening. Do not ventilate your apartment at this time.

• Store the clothes they are wearing outside the bedroom.
• Wash your hair before going to bed so you do not carry pollen with you.
• Keep the car windows closed while driving.

Home remedies for pollen allergy sufferers in April

Birch pollen is especially aggressive for allergy sufferers. Those affected need the substances that bring an allergic reaction back into balance.
Black cumin oil depresses the level of the hormone histamine with linoleic and linolenic acids as well as nigellon oil. This triggers the allergic reaction. The organism forms prostaglandins from the linolenic acids and these inhibit inflammation and relieve the symptoms of allergy.

Recent studies suggest that zinc also curbs pollen allergy and hay fever, both allergic inflammation and chronic irritation. Zinc strengthens cell membranes. It is available in the form of tablets, but also in foods such as beef liver and seafood.

High levels of magnesium in the body increase the threshold to allergic reactions. It is found in oat products, beans, lentils and spinach.

Pollen allergy sufferers should consume a lot of magnesium through the diet because it inhibits the release of histamine. (Image: samael334 / fotolia.com)

Allergy sufferers should regularly rinse the nose with a saline solution, because the fine pollen settle on the nasal hair. In addition, you can take care of the affected nasal mucosa with black cumin oil.

Do not exaggerate

March was chilly, then April is the first month to go outside. The flowers are blooming, and when the sun is shining and the days get longer, it drives us outside.

But be careful not to overload yourself. If you train regularly in the gym in the winter, the movement in nature is not an issue for them. However, most spend the winter mainly on the sofa or office chair.

The muscles are not trained, and the serotonin seduces us to overestimate ourselves. A consequence of untrained movements in cycling, skating and even while running are now bruises, bruises, strains and abrasions. Typical spring diseases are over stressed muscles, tendons and bones.

Warm up before training and stretch your body, start the sport slowly.

Wear sportswear in multiple layers, all of which are breathable. In changing weather, you can put on a warm top in the fall in temperature and run in the sun in a T-shirt. How to prevent colds.

Asparagus - the popular spring vegetables

The fourth month of the year is above all time for sowing, not harvesting, but some healthy vegetables are already on the table in spring - with asparagus in the lead. If April, which gives what it wants, warm weather, it can be harvested in Germany from the middle of the month.

Asparagus is a superstar for nutritional consumers. It is one of the vegetables with the least calories. With 18 calories per 100 grams, it can be feasted kilo without our increasing it. He also helps with dehydration, because the white bars contain larger amounts of potassium - also phosphorus and the rare vitamins A, E and K. Asparagus cleanses the blood, strengthens the liver and kidneys.

Asparagus is a great spring vegetable because it contains many vitamins and minerals, but very few calories. (Image: karepa / fotolia.com)

There are white asparagus, purple and green. In Germany, the white variant is the most common. In April you can buy the popular vegetables in the fields around Nienburg or the Lüneburg Heath directly from the farmers. Usually they are best there, because the rods should be eaten as fresh as possible. Rolled in a damp tea towel, they keep themselves in the fridge for up to three days.

How do you recognize fresh asparagus??

Fresh asparagus breaks easily and can hardly be bent. The interfaces are juicy and the bars squeak when rubbing against each other. If the vegetables are fresh, it shines.

The color of old asparagus is dull, it looks brownish, is dry and sometimes even hollow.

rhubarb

Rhubarb can be harvested from April to June. We eat only the stems, the leaves are poisonous. It can be processed in desserts, in jams, as a compote or sweetened juice. These are vegetables, not fruit.

This contains iron, magnesium and potassium. Potassium dehydrates and promotes digestion. 1 kilo of rhubarb covers our daily requirement of vitamin C. In addition, vitamin K, which is important for blood formation. He has only 12 calories per 100 g, but we eat him almost exclusively sweetened.

Except for sweet cuisine, we can also use the aromatic rods as a classic vegetable. The sour taste harmonizes with fish and chicken as an alternative to asparagus.

Fresh in the fridge in a damp cloth, it lasts only a few days, frozen, however, up to a year. The best thing is to boil rhubarb. Such compote can still be eaten after two years. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)

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