6 Best Spring Energy Cures to Overcome Whatever Is Making You Tired
As spring unfolds and the world bursts into bloom, it's easy to assume that the season brings nothing but renewed energy. Yet, surprisingly, many of us find ourselves battling fatigue amid the longer days and warmer weather, thanks to surprising springtime tiredness triggers. Luckily, relief might be close — and easier — than you may think! We've got the research-backed spring energy cures that'll ease aches, lessen stress and more. And they're all easy and even fun to do. So keep scrolling to find the fix that'll help you have your best spring ever.
1. End body aches with the scent of lilacs
It’s so fun to head outside on a balmy, breezy spring day and have more energy. But after a long winter cooped-up indoors, sudden upticks in motion can double your risk of stiff, achy muscles and joints — and the tiredness that can accompany them. The good news? Breathing in the sweet, familiar scent of lilacs in bloom can tamp down a pain flare in as little as 10 minutes, Spanish scientists say. Thanks to aromatic compounds in lilac flowers, secoiridoids, which calm overactive pain nerves, plus reduce your immune system’s production of ache-triggering inflammation. No lilac bushes near you? Taking slow, deep sniffs of lilac essential oil can offer the same impressive pain relief.
2. Deepen sleep with a sunset peek
The sneaky downside to spring’s warmer, brighter evenings? They can confuse your brain’s biological clock, dialing down your nighttime release of the relaxing, sleep-deepening hormone melatonin. The result? Poor sleep that leaves you feeling tired and exhausted. Thankfully, University of Washington researchers say just gazing at the warm orange and yellow hues of the setting sun (which happens around 7:30 pm this time of year) quickly resets a wonky biological clock, prodding your brain to release a flood of melatonin as bedtime nears. Spend a few minutes each evening enjoying the beautiful sunset, and you could be drifting off faster, sleeping more soundly and waking energized in 48 hours.
3. Curb chronic stress by touching a tree
We love cheery spring days and the promise of summer fun that’s right around the corner. But the edginess that builds as to-do lists grow and we start feeling more rushed? Not so much. Fortunately, investigators out of Singapore have discovered a surprisingly simple way to tame tiredness-triggering tension: Just head outside and touch your favorite tree! Their research review suggests that even brief contact with growing trees can calm rattled nerves in five minutes, plus it halves your risk of chronic stress if you do it daily. The reason? Whenever you touch a living tree your brain releases a mood-steadying hormone, oxytocin, that brings on a calm and relaxed energy.
Related: 4 Easy Ways to Spend Time in Nature to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
4. Halt headaches by listening to music
Adjusting to spring’s longer days and bigger temperature fluxes can spike your headache risk by 36%. But listening to music that you love for as little as 15 minutes twice daily can cut your risk of energy-sapping spring headache flares by 50%, report researchers out of UC Irvine. Feeling ugh right now? Stretching out and enjoying your favorite song could provide relief in as little as 60 seconds. That’s because listening to familiar, much-loved tunes relaxes spasming muscles, plus it stimulates a brain region (the thalamus) that boosts pain threshold to make even thudding headaches disappear.
5. Banish brain fog with a multivitamin
You’re 85% less likely to feel fatigued, foggy and scattered on go-go-go spring days (and your memory will be as sharp as it was four years ago) if you take a basic multivitamin each day. Columbia University researchers explain that this simple once-a-day habit provides your body with a small, steady trickle of the key vitamins and minerals that it needs to keep brain blood vessels and neurons healthy and in good repair.
Related: Found: The Easy, Inexpensive Fix for the Vitamin Glitch That’s Making Women Tired
6. Heighten blood sugar control with a picnic lunch
Lack of sunshine and exercise during the chilly winter months can tinker with your pancreas’ production of sugar-controlling insulin, causing sluggishness and daily bouts of fatigue that can drag on long into spring. But soak up at least 10 minutes of sunshine daily (ideally between 11 am and 1 pm, when UV rays are at their peak) and you’ll quickly restore your blood sugar control and stamina, British research reveals. Experts say vitamin D (the nutrient your skin produces when it’s exposed to UV light) switches on genes that energize a sluggish pancreas and increase insulin sensitivity in tissues, heightening blood sugar control to prevent frustrating energy dips. (Click through to learn about more ways to boost blood sugar control and reverse prediabetes.)
For more energy-boosting tips, click through to these stories:
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