For many people, spring is the best time of the year. She represents youth. The length of the day increases, the first leaves appear on the trees, birds return from warm lands. But spring affects not only nature, but also our behavior and well-being.
How does spring affect our hormones? As the days get longer and the sun shines more often after winter, many people prefer to gather outdoors. The sun’s rays in spring have a beneficial effect on the skin. As soon as the ultraviolet radiation reaches the thin epidermis, the body stimulates the production of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin, but rather an essential hormone. People cannot get enough vitamin D from food, so regular outdoor activities are necessary. Research shows that the human body can store vitamin D. But its reserves are used up after a few months. Therefore, vitamin D deficiency usually occurs after a long winter and a lack of sunlight. The vitamin D hormone carries large amounts of calcium to muscles and bones. The bones become stronger and denser. In addition, our muscle strength increases. A day outdoors eliminates the deficiency of the hormone vitamin D in 8 days. How does spring fatigue manifest itself? However, solar radiation affects us not only through light, but also through heat. Researchers use this phenomenon to explain the so-called spring fatigue. The first days of spring have the same effect as going to the sauna (going to the sauna puts the same strain on the body as sports). Blood pressure is dropping. The veins are dilating. This creates a feeling of lethargy and fatigue. Spring fatigue goes away when the human body adapts to new circumstances.
Why is there often a good mood in spring? How is it that at the beginning of the warm season we feel more cheerful, healthier or even more attractive? This effect is justified by the fact that the retina of our eyes also receives more sunlight. Thus, spring light counteracts the production of the hormone melatonin in the brain by retinal receptors. The less melatonin the human body produces, the more effectively serotonin works. This “hormone of happiness” causes a pleasant feeling of well-being. The more light a person receives, the more serotonin the body produces. Thus, the health effects are comparable to light therapy.
In conclusion, I would like to add that the advantages of spring as a time of year should be used to the maximum. This is especially true for people of mature and elderly age. You shouldn’t watch TV for too long, stay at home all the time and get hung up on the situation in the country. You should spend more time walking, meeting with friends and going out into nature.