What causes it and how can we counteracting this feeling of lethargy?

Spring fatigue

Do you feel tired and low on energy in spring? Spring fatigue is not uncommon – but there’s certainly plenty you can do to combat it. We explain what causes spring fatigue and share the best tips for counteracting this feeling of lethargy.

As soon as nature adjusts from winter to spring, many people feel the effects of this transition in the form of spring fatigue. While we may have felt lively and ready for action during the dark time of year, many of us suddenly lack motivation when spring comes around. Precisely in the season that’s supposed to awaken our spirits and leave us feeling revitalized. How can this be? “A lack of energy and tiredness during spring can primarily be explained by the change in climate. Outside temperatures shift from cold to warm. This expands the blood vessels, lowering blood pressure. This makes us tired,” explains Claudia Kohla, holistic psychologist at VIVAMAYR.

The interesting part is that not all people are affected equally by spring fatigue. An individual’s fundamental health status plays a major role here. “Our biorhythm slows down in winter. In addition, the metabolism is also subject to the seasonal fluctuations. This can often sap a lot of energy from our body. The result: we feel tired and drained,” she explains. “What’s decisive, however, is what the person’s innate energy levels look like. A properly functioning gut and a healthy liver play a pivotal role here.”

Harnessing the energy turbo of the liver to fight spring fatigue

Weighing in at between 1.4 and 1.8 kilograms, the liver is not only the heaviest internal organ, but also the largest gland in the human body. These facts alone hint at the immense importance of this organ for our health. Specifically, the liver performs the following tasks in our body:

Detoxification: The liver is the main detoxification organ. It acts as a sort of treatment plant which cleans out pollutants: harmful substances are deactivated or converted into substances that can be excreted with the bile or urine. “If the liver is unable to properly fulfil its detoxification function, this also has negative effects on the immune system and the energy metabolism,” Claudia Kohla notes. For the fact that the immune system has to work harder to fight these harmful substances means that we, as a result, lack energy.

Energy supply and storage: the liver stores glucose in the form of glycogen, which provides our muscles with the necessary energy when required. Furthermore, it also controls the fat and sugar metabolism as well as the levels of minerals and vitamins. It obtains the nutrients to do so from the blood, for which, in turn, a healthy gut is crucial. Claudia Kohla explains: “If the gut isn’t working very well, the liver receives a lot more toxins than it should. It can then no longer absorb micronutrients as efficiently. The liver becomes sluggish. We feel this not only by way of a lack of energy, but it can also show up as an increase in weight – or an inability to lose weight,” according to the health expert. Alongside glucose, other nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12 and the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) are also stored in the liver.
Production and supply of protein: The liver breaks proteins down into their components, amino acids, and converts them into endogenous proteins. These are essential building blocks for hormones, antibodies, blood clotting factors and albumin. The latter is responsible for the distribution of liquid within the body. It is able to bind water, thus maintaining a constant level of liquid inside and outside of the blood vessels.

Strengthening the immune system: the liver plays an important role in what is known as the building of tolerance. It familiarizes the body with initially unknown protein components. As a result, these are subsequently tolerated by the immune system. This means that allergies and food intolerances do not stand a chance.
Balanced hormone levels: a healthy liver keeps hormone levels in check by breaking down estrogen and producing cholesterol – the precursor for all of the sex hormones.
Production of bile acid: the liver produces bile acids, which help to break down the fats found in food. They also help cholesterol keep its liquid form, preventing the formation of gallstones.

The best tips against spring fatigue

Colon cleansing

The tasks carried out by the liver serve to explain why colon cleansing is so effective against spring fatigue. After all, it not only strengthens the gut, but also the performance of the liver. As part of a colon cleansing treatment, the body is primarily nourished with alkaline foods that protect and strengthen the intestines. Along with vegetables such as leafy vegetables with a high water content and potatoes, cold-pressed plant oils like hemp oil, camelina oil and linseed oil also play a vital role here. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which, among other things, encourage diversity in the intestinal flora and therefore ensure a healthy digestive capacity and good absorption of nutrients. “At the VIVAMAYR Health Resorts we always test the performance of the liver for each guest too. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of the blood, we also implement functional myodiagnostics for this purpose, which provides us with very reliable results,” explains Claudia Kohla.

Colon cleansing treatment is especially recommended in spring. The detoxification and cleansing processes that are in part set into motion by fasting and the associated process of autophagy (the body’s own recycling system – we explain this mechanism in more detail here) support the organism in adapting to the warmer time of year. Since the gut is relieved of some of its burden, it is able to concentrate on hormone production once more. It goes back to producing serotonin (our “wakefulness hormone”) and melatonin (our “sleep hormone”) in healthy amounts, allowing the body to reestablish a healthy sleep-wake cycle. This is also supported by the increased amounts of daylight available starting in spring. These changes make themselves felt in the form of an improvement in mood as well as better quality of sleep.

Deep, conscious breathing and plenty of movement

How’s your breathing in this very moment? Are you inhaling deep into your lungs, or is your breath somewhat shallow? We can all agree that the latter tends to be the norm. Break this pattern by becoming aware of your breathing at least three times throughout the day. To do so, straighten up and breathe deep into your belly. Can you feel how the abdominal wall and ribcage expand and noticeably fill with air? Slowly breathe back out. Take the time to enjoy at least five deep breaths. By doing so, you not only support the detoxification of the body via the lungs, but also ensure that it is supplied with fresh oxygen. For best results, get outdoors and spend time in nature, and make sure you get lots of movement too. An instant energy boost is guaranteed!

Fresh fruit and vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids

Hearing that fruit and vegetables are healthy is nothing new, right? When choosing produce in general, you should pay attention to what is currently in season, and stick to regional, organic products. These tend to contain more nutrients and fewer contaminants, and be better for the climate and environment.

You should also make sure to get enough omega-3 fatty acids. Our article “Strengthening the immune system with omega-3 fatty acids” details all you need to know about the recommended intake and how you can meet your daily needs. Not only are omega-3 fatty acids – as previously mentioned – important for gut health, they also ensure that we are able to easily absorb sunlight into our body and utilize it for the production of vitamin D. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids also promote our mental resistance, also known as resilience. As Claudia Kohla notes: “Omega-3 fatty acids form part of the myelin sheath, which surrounds the nerve cell extensions – the axons – of certain nerves. It is important for the healthy transmission of stimuli. If our nervous system is healthy, we perceive this in the form of increased resilience, among other things. This then better equips our nerves against external adversities. Negative stress, burnout, tension and internal processes of inflammation are then mitigated.”

Your individual way out of spring fatigue

Our VIVAMAYR experts will be happy to support you on your path back to more energy. This doesn’t always have to mean in-patient stay in our resorts. We will also be very pleased to receive you at our day clinics, or you can make use of our offer of telemedicine.