Mental load, drop in light and temperatures: autumn fatigue is here but there is still time to stock up on vitamins to keep your spirits up and in shape!
“Autumn fatigue begins to make itself felt about a week after returning from summer vacation” indicates Marie-Ange Guillemet, phyto-aromatherapy advisor and aromacologist. The start of the school year, the return to work and a sustained pace of activities from september “generate stress and unpleasant feeling of exhaustion which slows down the activity and energy accumulated during the summer“. Added to this is the gradual decrease in brightness, temperatures and time change. Not to mention the preparation for the end of year celebrations which is not easy! So, “this fatigue will increase“.
We should be able to intervene before fatigue sets in, as soon as early September. “You should know that in the Chinese medicine (to which naturopathy refers when it comes to rhythm, balance and season, editor’s note), autumn begins on August 8, so very early. For us, in Europe, under our latitude, it would be necessary act on the seasonal phenomenon of fatigue from the start of the school year in September.“By delaying its consideration, fatigue will express itself in a physical, general and/or muscular manner, then quickly lead to mental fatigue.”This fatigue can cause oxidative stress, disrupt the senses, particularly that of sight, before reaching emotional and intellectual balance, by disrupting cognitive functions such as concentration.explains Marie-Ange Guillemet.
To compensate for the increase in energy expenditure linked to the drop in temperatures, and the increase in activities and stressful pace, it is necessary favor a diet “more digestible, easy to assimilate, rich in vitamins and mineralsseasonal, preferably organic and local: apple, pear, grape, gingersquash, cabbage, black radish, endive, fennel, and the root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, etc.) should be eaten as a priority, without excess“. It is also recommended to go to bed 30 minutes earlier.
If fatigue persists, consult your doctor.
“A grape cure over a day, a week or 15 days can restore energy. But bewarewarns Marie-Ange Guillemet, the detox cure or the monodiet is not not recommended for people who are already too tired. This treatment would then have the opposite effect: adding fatigue“. More generally, it is necessary to make a treatment of seasonal foods rich in vitamins : apple, pear, grapes, ginger, squash, cabbage, black radish, endive, fennel, and the root vegetables. Finally, against fatigue, magnesium cure can also do good. Magnesium is available over the counter in pharmacies.
►The herbal infusions : ginseng and guarana reboost.
► Vitamins in food supplements : “liposomal vitamin C is a must to fight against fatigue. It is to be preferred to acerola which can cause digestive problems. It combines ideally with Coenzyme Q10. Klamat and chlorella have an interesting reboosting and detox effect., provided you are not already in a state of exhaustion. These supplements are generally found in the form of capsules, preferably organic. “For people with low morale, whose state of fatigue has reached their emotional state, B group vitamins, magnesium bisglycinate (better assimilated) are recommended“.
► The essential oils (HEY) : “Black spruce or essential oil of pepper mint have the property of acting on the adrenals and therefore on the kidneys to boost the body. Peppermint is used with the greatest caution, only in trace amounts (less than a drop) to be placed on the palate or on the sides of the nose. Pine essential oils, or rosemary and cineole oils can be placed (in trace amounts) on a handkerchief to be inhaled.“EOs can also be distributed to act on fatigue : “citrus essential oils (especially citrus lemon, bergamot, bitter orange petit grain) are to be preferred, and the damask rose will be even more useful in cases of advanced depression. Pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under 6 years old should refrain from using them.”
To avoid autumn fatigue, the ideal is to get ahead of your symptoms. From the first week of resuming activities, work, school, and returning from summer vacation, it is necessary to take charge.
- Eat seasonal products, rich in vitamins and minerals to avoid deficiencies.
- Expose yourself to light and get some oxygen each day.
- Move your body and stay dynamic by practicing regular activity: walking, sport, yoga…
- Get enough sleep, 8 hours per night.
- Consume bee products : honey every day, “pollen and propolis as a treatment during the winter months, for three weeks of treatment, followed by a week’s break, repeated over three months, are excellent for strengthening immunity.
- Se detoxify by one birch sap cure, or a short monodiet (a day or a week of grapes for example).
- Diffuse citrus essential oils at home (lemon, bergamot, bitter orange petit grain). These essential oils act on the nervous system. They allow fight against moral fatigue“indicates the expert.
If fatigue persists, consult your doctor.
Thanks to Marie-Ange Guillemet, phyto-aromatherapy advisor and aromacologist.