The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the days are getting longer and our clothing is getting shorter. When spring arrives, everyone looks forward to finally feeling the sun on their skin and soaking up some rays. But why do we feel this way? Does spring really have an effect on our hormones? Bust out your sunglasses and get ready to start your summer early… you might feel your body temperature rise when you find out how the arrival of spring affects your body. Hormones don’t only affect your body during a single season, but all year long.
Winter has its charms: snowfall, hearty meals shared with your friends and family and the holidays we celebrate when the year comes to an end. But besides that, winter puts your body to the test as it overcomes the lack of sunlight, the cold and the many illnesses that go around during this time of year.
In winter, the days get shorter, reducing your exposure to sunlight. This has a direct impact on your health and how you act. In fact, natural light stops the pineal gland from creating melatonin, also known as the “hormone of darkness”. Your body usually produces this hormone during the night. It regulates your sleep cycle and makes you tired, especially during the winter. In the winter, you produce 80% more melatonin than in the summer. Spring sunshine causes the initial production of melatonin to drop, which in turn makes you feel more energized. That’s why you suffer less from seasonal depression in the spring, which people mostly experience during the long winter months.
A French study published in January 2004 showed how melatonin affects your appetite, which could be the cause of some cases of obesity. When rats were injected with it in large amounts, melatonin increased their food intake and consequently, their weight. This shows that when you have large amounts of this hormone in your body during the winter months, it can increase your appetite and make you more susceptible to obesity. Fortunately, with the arrival of spring, you can decrease the level of melatonin in your body, helping you better control your appetite. This is one of the reasons why you eat less in the spring and summer. The sun can really work as an appetite suppressant, helping your body produce other hormones.
Melatonin doesn’t only cause problems in your body, but also in the bedroom, having a variety of effects on your sex drive. First of all, it can reduce your desire to get busy in between the sheets…
But when it’s combined with serotonin, a hormone that acts as a natural antidepressant and is produced by your body when it’s exposed to light, it can boost your libido, so it all depends on the season… and spring is here!
Spring stirs up excitement and awakens your body after it has been numbed by the cold of the winter months and a lack of sunlight. Read on to learn all about the fascinating links between hormones and spring fever.
During the spring, some days are sunnier than others, but the good news is you have more exposure to sunlight in general. This helps your body produce more “happy hormones,” like endorphins. They create a feeling of euphoria, help you feel less pain and give you a real energy boost to get you out of hibernation mode. You can get your body producing even more endorphins by staying physically active on a regular basis, like sticking with your FizzUp workout program. Carefully designed to give you effective workouts that get you back in shape, FizzUp fitness training is intense enough to help your body produce even more hormones that are beneficial to your health.
After a workout, you’re more than likely to feel in even more invogorated than before you started, and this is all because endorphins have spread throughout your body to help you withstand the physical demands of the exercises. You’re sure to still feel the benefits in your body once you’re done. Feeling a bit sluggish? Just open your FizzUp app instead of crashing on the couch; it will get you feeling great with an energy boost.
Spring also has an effect on your mood. The more your body is exposed to sunlight, the more serotonin it produces, which is a natural antidepressant. It calms your nerves and puts a smile on your face. The good news is that regular physical activity also promotes serotonin production. Haven’t signed up for FizzUp yet? Don’t wait another minute! You can feel like it’s spring 365 days a year, right at home, with workouts that are equipment-free!
With the flowers blooming and the bees buzzing, do you feel an attraction to everything that moves? Can’t take your eyes off all the attractive people you meet? Spring fever gets you hot and bothered, literally. Besides the fact that it’s spring, sunlight once again serves an important purpose. In fact, it helps your body produce testosterone and estrogen. But women are the ones who feel a spike in their sexual desire during spring, while for men, their testosterone levels reach their peak in August.
Research led by Professor Arne Holte from the University of Tromso in Norway showed how an increase of sunlight affects sexual desire in women. Whereas men regularly produce testosterone, women experience increased hormone production at times of the year when there’s more sunlight. Dopamine, which your body also produces when exposed to sunlight, also triggers sexual desire because this hormone promotes feelings of wellness and happiness in your brain.
Now you know that hormones have a positive effect on your spring fever. It’s just another reason to love spring, because it gets the hormones flowing that boost your overall sense of wellness. Ward off the after-effects of winter by making regular physical activity a priority in your routine so you can always feel this great. Let the arrival of spring be the reason to get moving. Take advantage of the sunshine by doing your workout outside to stay in top shape.
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