If spring has sprung you into an emotional black hole, listen up.
Germans have a word for the general sense of malaise that can, however ironically, accompany the start of a season known for rebirth and vitality.
Frühlingsmüdigkeit — “springtime tiredness” or “springtime lethargy” — is a well-known phenomenon among German speakers who claim spring fever as we know it is a floral-shrouded myth.
Instead, they argue, the emergence from winter is actually the sleepiest and least productive time of year.
But scientists aren’t so sure.
While several biologically legitimate factors could contribute to a feeling of fatigue in the warmer months — like longer and later exposure to sunlight, ever-worsening seasonal allergies and daylight saving time’s jarring impact on the circadian rhythm — researchers in Switzerland weren’t able to find a scientific basis for the cultural phenomenon.
In a recent study of 418 adults, the authors found that almost half of the participants self-identified as having spring fatigue.
While there were several anecdotal reports of the seasonal change, sleep quality and insomnia survey data collected over a year-long period remained consistent throughout the year, with no major seasonal or monthly variations.
Speaking to the University of Basel, lead author Dr. Christine Blume, a researcher at the Center for Chronobiology of the University Psychiatric Clinics at the Swiss university, said that spring fatigue isn’t exactly a “genuine biological phenomenon.”
But she’s sympathetic to the different factors, environmental and social, that might contribute to a feeling of extra exhaustion.
“In spring, we may also feel that we need to be more active and take advantage of the good weather,” she said. “If we can’t bring ourselves to do so, our expectations and our subjective energy level can be very different.”
At least in her part of the world, frühjahrsmüdigkeit is “an explanation that is completely accepted in society.”
But in the US, that mentality is less common — potentially helping to explain why, for some people, the sunny seasons promise something darker than a mild case of fatigue.
For those who suffer from reverse seasonal affective disorder, or RSAD, spring and summer arrive with a heap of dread.
Though medical experts haven’t formally recognized the diagnosis, RSAD is said to afflict 1% of Americans and is frequently marked by irritability, insomnia, appetite loss and anxiety during the warmer months — a time the rest of the population typically starts fantasizing about with the first wafts of pumpkin spice.
Some RSAD sufferers say their body image takes a hit in spring and summer, when “beach body” pressure is at its peak. And expectations to be more social or spend more money don’t help, either.
One 29-year-old woman with the condition recently told The Post that winter and fall are when she most feels like herself. “There’s something about [colder weather] that makes me feel more calm. Like it’s normal to slow down, stay inside and rest,” she said.
According to Dr. Sue Varma, an author and board-certified psychologist who practices in NYC, care providers often overlook RSAD. They mistake it for regular depression or hypomania or sometimes dismiss it outright.
“Most people are familiar with the winter blues,” Varma recently told The Post. “Standard SAD usually kicks in when the days get shorter and darker. It’s often linked to a drop in serotonin and an overproduction of melatonin, making you feel like a hibernating bear.”
Summer-onset SAD is triggered by the opposite factors.
“Instead of reacting to a lack of light, your body and brain overreact to too much of it. It typically starts in late spring or early summer and wraps up when the crisp air of autumn returns,” she added.
There are other differences between SAD and RSAD, too. “While winter makes you feel low,” she explained, “summer makes you feel irritable, agitated and anxious. It’s not a slow slump — it’s a prickly, restless discomfort.”
To counteract feelings of dysregulation brought on by the heat, Varma recommends making the most of dawn and dusk.
“Don’t try to power through a noon-day run — keep your movement to the blue hours, when the light is less harsh,” she said. Cold therapy, whether it’s a cold shower or an ice pack, “can help regulate the agitation that comes with summer heat.”
As can the creation of “cool zones” at home — featuring blackout curtains and dim lighting — which can “help lower your core temperature and calm your nervous system.”
