Sleeping eight hours and waking up as if you had slept five. Arriving at eleven in the morning dragging yourself along. Noticing that your brain is running at half speed. If this is happening to you, it’s not you: it’s April. And there is a biological explanation.

Every year, between March and May, thousands of people visit their primary care physician with the same symptoms: exhaustion that isn't cured by sleep, a lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, and, in many cases, irritability. We call it spring asthenia, and although its existence was doubted for years, we now know it is a real bodily response to several factors that align precisely at this time of year.

The curious thing is that spring has a reputation for being energizing. More light, more heat, more outdoor activity. And yet, many of us feel just the opposite. In this article, we explain what is happening inside your body and, above all, what three concrete things you can do this very week to recover your energy.

What spring asthenia actually is

Spring asthenia is not a disease or an official diagnosis, but it is a clinically observed phenomenon. It occurs when the body has to adapt rapidly to several simultaneous changes, and that adaptation consumes much more energy than we generate. The result is a disproportionate feeling of exhaustion.

The 4 factors that align in April

1.     Clock change. Moving the clocks forward at the end of March disrupts the circadian rhythm for several weeks. Your internal clock takes between 10 and 21 days to readjust, and during that time cortisol (the hormone that wakes you up in the morning) is produced out of sync.

2.     More daylight hours. It sounds good, but the body needs time to adjust melatonin production (the sleep hormone). During the transition, many people sleep worse even if they think they are getting the same number of hours of sleep.

3.     Seasonal allergies. Pollen triggers an immune response that, even if mild, consumes energy. Furthermore, first-generation antihistamines directly cause drowsiness.

4.     Increased activity. After the winter lethargy, we go back to meeting up, training, socializing, and planning. Mental and physical expenditure rises suddenly, and the body, which had been in energy-saving mode, becomes overwhelmed.

3 strategies to recover your energy this week

The good news is that spring asthenia usually lasts between two and four weeks. The better news is that you can drastically shorten it with three very specific habits, backed by science, that don't require spending money or changing your life.

1. Sunlight in the first 30 minutes of the day

Exposing yourself to natural light when you wake up is probably the most powerful and free intervention that exists to reset your circadian rhythm. Sunlight (especially morning light, which has more of a blue component) tells your brain: "it's daytime, activate cortisol." And twelve hours later, your body will know when to produce melatonin so you can fall asleep.

How to do it: go outside or step out onto the balcony for 5 to 10 minutes, without sunglasses and without looking at your phone. Even on cloudy days, the light intensity is sufficient. If you can have breakfast outside or take a walk for a few minutes before working, even better.

2. Protein at breakfast (25-30 grams)

The classic breakfast (coffee, toast with oil or jam, juice) is practically sugar with sugar. It spikes your glucose quickly, your body releases insulin to lower it, and two hours later you are worse off than before: hungry, lacking focus, and craving something sweet.

Including 25 to 30 grams of protein in your first meal stabilizes your glucose throughout the morning. You will notice more satiety, better concentration, and fewer mid-morning crashes.

Practical ideas: three eggs with whole-grain toast, plain Greek yogurt with nuts and fruit, an egg white omelet with ham, or a protein and banana shake if you are in a rush.

3. Check your magnesium

Magnesium is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in your body, including cellular energy production (ATP), nervous system regulation, and sleep quality. And, along with vitamin D, it is one of the nutrients in which the population shows the most deficiency.

Sustained stress, physical activity, coffee, and a diet low in leafy greens accelerate its depletion. When you are low, you notice it: it is harder to relax at night, you wake up tired, you have muscle tension or cramps, and your stress tolerance drops.

Important: not all magnesium is the same. Citrate and bisglycinate are well absorbed; oxide (the cheapest and most common in pharmacies) has very low bioavailability. Read the label before buying.

When to worry (and when not to)

Spring asthenia is transitory. If you have been experiencing the symptoms for more than four or five weeks, if the exhaustion severely interferes with your daily life, or if it is accompanied by symptoms such as weight loss, fever, or persistent sadness, do not attribute it to the change of season: consult your doctor. It could be anemia, a thyroid problem, an iron or vitamin D deficiency, or a case of anxiety or depression that deserves specific attention.

For typical seasonal fatigue, however, the three habits above are usually enough to notice a clear difference in seven to ten days.