Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Tips to beat spring fatigue
.jpg?w=728)
In spring, even people who get their ideal quota of sleep can end up feeling tired and drowsy. / Korea Times file
By Kim Bo-eun
By Kim Bo-eun
After the long winter months, spring is a much-awaited season, but once it arrives, many suffer from fatigue caused by the significant shift in temperatures.
Experts say drowsiness and lethargy occur because our bodies fail to immediately adjust to the warmer weather, following months of cold weather.
While spring fatigue is common, there are simple strategies to beat it: it’s all about sticking to the basics.
Sleep well
It’s stating the obvious, but perhaps the most basic essential factor to overcoming fatigue is getting enough sleep. Eight hours of sleep is recommended daily, but late nights out, phone calls that continue past midnight and late hours spent online can easily whittle those hours down. But even people who get their ideal quota of sleep can end up feeling tired and drowsy. If this is the case, enhancing the quality of our sleep is the next step to take.
To improve the likelihood of a good night’s sleep, avoid caffeinated beverages after 4 p.m. People should also refrain from eating heavy meals or late night snacks before bed because this degrades the quality of sleep since the body needs to digest the food while sleeping. Heavy exercise before bedtime excites the body, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Smartphones can be major obstacles to getting a good night’s sleep. Many people find themselves peering at these addictive gadgets late at night, after they’ve tucked themselves into bed. They can also wake a person up after they fall asleep, due to messages and notifications that arrive during the night. The best solution is to keep a separate alarm clock and switch off your smartphone when sleeping.
Maintaining a regular sleep routine also helps. While weekends, for most working people, are a time to party and catch up on sleep, an erratic sleep schedule can confuse the body and make it hard to fall asleep early on weekdays.
Eat healthy
Stretching in between hours is a good way to keep the body awake.
Having breakfast is the first step toward building healthy eating habits. It gets the metabolism going and stops a person overeating at lunch. Having three meals a day, at regular hours, will keep a person from snacking. It is good to include spring greens as well as grains which are rich in vitamins.
Many opt to cut down on carbohydrates to lose weight, but eating enough carbohydrates is essential for keeping blood sugar levels stable.
Drinking lots of water is also vital; two liters are recommended daily.
When feeling lethargic, it’s easy to grab something to munch on, even if a person is not hungry. It is even worse when the eating takes place while doing something else at the same time, whether it be working at the office, watching TV at home, or driving on the road. Eating while being distracted easily leads to overeating because the mind is focused on something else.
Be vigilant against eating out of boredom. In addition, measure out servings in a bowl or eat pre-portioned snacks such as a piece of fruit.
And when having a meal, try to sit at a table and savor each bite. This will make the meals last longer and help a person feel more satisfied on less food.
Exercise regularly
A salad sprinkled with cereal
When they are unfit, a person easily feels tired, and doesn’t enjoy exercise. Breaking this cycle of inactivity is needed to boost energy levels.
Before this begins, relax the muscles by stretching and warming up. We should all try to exercise for 30 to 40 minutes, three times a week.
Although proper workouts are good, exercising does not have to involve special gear or membership to an expensive gym. Just work some activity into your daily routine ― this could mean getting off from the bus a few stops earlier and walking the rest of your way to work, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Just remember it is important to keep exercising regular.
Office workers are recommended to walk outside during their lunch breaks. This is not only good in terms of physical activity; getting sunlight is also essential. Being cooped up in an office will only add to tiredness.
Stretching in between hours is a good way of keeping the body awake during drowsy hours in the afternoon,
Spring cleaning can also be a good form of exercise.