As the saying goes, "people tend to feel drowsy in spring and autumn and doze off in summer." Every spring, people are prone to feeling "sleepy", experiencing fatigue, drowsiness, difficulty waking up in the morning, and even after waking up, it feels like they haven't had enough sleep. With the rising temperature in spring, the body's yang energy rises, blood circulation strengthens, and more blood is supplied to the skin’s extremities with increased sweat gland secretion. This increases the load on various tissues and organs, causing a sedative and hypnotic effect on the central nervous system, leading to feelings of tiredness.
Although spring lethargy is not considered pathological, this fatigued mental state can have adverse effects on work and life. Try the following methods which can help prevent and alleviate spring lethargy, allowing one to fully enjoy the happiness that spring brings:
1. Reasonable adjustment of diet structure. Especially in early spring when the weather is cold, the human body consumes a certain amount of energy to maintain basic body temperature. Foods high in calories such as grains, soybeans, sesame seeds, peanuts, and walnuts can be chosen to replenish energy in time. From the perspective of "nourishing yang energy in spring and summer," one should eat fewer cold foods like cucumbers and mung bean sprouts, and more warm foods like green onions, ginger, garlic, and leeks to dispel yin and scatter cold. Adequate protein intake is necessary because tyrosine in proteins is the main component of chemicals that produce alertness in the brain. Spring is also a season for growth, so high-protein foods such as chicken, animal liver, fish, lean meat, egg yolk, milk, and soy milk should be consumed more often in the diet. Additionally, sufficient vitamins should be ingested. Since the temperature changes significantly in spring and bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms begin to multiply, easily invading the human body and causing illness, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins should be eaten more to enhance the body's disease resistance. In summary, the spring diet should be light and appetizing, avoiding greasy, raw-cold, and stimulating foods to prevent changes in body temperature, blood sugar, and mood after meals, which can lead to feelings of fatigue.
2. Spend more time outdoors. Go outside to the suburbs, by lakes, near springs, by the sea, or atop mountains, and look into the distance. Good visual stimulation helps eliminate spring lethargy.
3. Listen to music. When feeling drowsy, choose music that uplifts the spirit and has a rhythmic charm, or sing and dance along to the beat.
4. Exercise reasonably. When feeling sleepy, moving your limbs can invigorate the muscles and blood flow, improve joint mobility, and stimulate brain activity. Spring weather can still be chilly, so when doing aerobic exercises, the intensity should not be too intense. Walking briskly three times a week for 30 minutes each time, controlling the pace at 60-80 steps per minute, is recommended. Additionally, combining yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi can help stretch joints, relax muscles, and relieve physical and mental fatigue.
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