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Spring , that
season
linked to increased temperatures and hours of sunlight, flowers, pollens and allergy sufferers, joy... But there are not a few people for whom this change of season produces negative symptoms such as are tiredness, loss of appetite or lack of energy.
In these cases, we usually talk about
spring asthenia
, a
supposed diagnosis
that for a few years we have been hearing more and more about and whose treatment seems to be stuffed with vitamin supplements and of all kinds.
But
medical science does not have it all with itself.
What is spring asthenia?
In recent years, this term has become popular, encompassing
several symptoms
that manifest during this season.
The majority of patients usually report
tiredness, daytime sleepiness, sleep disturbances, lack of appetite, anxiety, headache, lack of energy and even low sexual desire
.
It is a disease?
From a medical point of view, vernal asthenia does not exist as such.
It cannot be officially diagnosed as it has no clinical entity
, and the majority of the medical community considers it more of a subjective sensation that is caused by the changes in rhythm typical of this time of year.
How many people does it affect?
Since this is not an actual medical diagnosis, it is difficult to know exactly.
But
several population surveys
, carried out in small samples of less than a thousand people, ensure that around
40% of Spaniards
could suffer from spring asthenia.
What is the cause?
The answer lies with a science called
chronobiology
.
This discipline studies the rhythmic changes that all living beings experience with the change of season and with the passing of the hours of the day, that is, it
studies our internal clock
.
In
spring
there are important
changes
in brightness, the
hours of sunshine
increase , and all living beings have to adapt to these changes.
As do trees or plants.
Is it due to a hormonal alteration?
We could say yes.
Throughout this
adaptation process, several glands that secrete hormones will be involved and that will influence our internal clock
.
For example, we will secrete less melatonin due to this increase in daylight hours, as well as less serotonin and norepinephrine.
These small
hormonal changes
are carried out by our body in a completely natural way, and some people can perceive their effects and others cannot.
I have spring asthenia, how do I treat it?
As a general rule,
it is not necessary to treat the symptoms in a specific way
, and much less by resorting to drugs.
The symptoms are temporary and will disappear over the weeks, when
our body adapts to the new season
.
Only if this does not happen, the symptoms do not subside and these sensations are part of a more complex context, should we go to the specialist.
Are vitamin supplements recommended?
If we believe that we can have spring asthenia and we think that by resorting to pills with many vitamins and minerals we are going to solve it,
we are wrong
.
Those who take them in spring will see how they feel better as the weeks go by, but
the same thing would happen if they didn't take them
.
A
varied and balanced diet, in which fresh vegetables, fruit, vegetables abound
... is much more recommended than any pharmacy vitamin supplement.
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Spring
Pharmacology