Last spring, saw a phenomenon known as coronavirus cabin fever — a cabin fever that directly correlated with the rolling lockdowns and quarantining during the early months of the pandemic. While the early stay-at-home orders in some regions, as well as sectors of the economy migrating to work from home, initially led to a decline in car accidents, it wouldn’t last for long. A noticeable uptick in accidents started occurring; something we could experience again this spring.
So why did that happen?
What Is Spring Fever?
Though spring fever is not exactly a diagnosable condition, it does have an impact on many people’s day-to-day lives. Most of the manifestations of spring fever positively impact us with a more stabilized mood and happier disposition, in part, because of an increase in serotonin in the body from increased daily sunlight. People tend to want to be out and about more as a result, which leads to more people on the road. Unfortunately, more people on the road tends to increase the probability of car accidents occurring.
Spring doesn’t affect everyone equally, however. While seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is commonly associated with winter, it can also affect people in the spring. SAD is triggered by a season change and doesn’t necessarily have to be from fall into winter. Instead of spring alleviating symptoms for those people, their symptoms get worse.
Regardless of whether you experience traditional fall-to-winter SAD or a spring-to-summer version, SAD symptoms include difficulty sleeping, agitation, and anxiety. A lack of sleep increases your risk of a car accident.
How Does Coronavirus Affect Cabin Fever?
Similar to spring fever, cabin fever is not the kind of condition you can get a medical diagnosis on. It overlaps quite a bit with seasonal affective disorder in terms of restlessness and irritability. A lack of patience and sleep deprivation is a troubling mix that can certainly increase the likelihood of a car accident if you’re behind the wheel.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has more people potentially exposed to the conditions that instill cabin fever. This also involves more anxiety and stress than isolating situations in the recent past. It’s important to get out and get some sun, but you’ll have a safer time behind the wheel of a car if you make sure you’re well-rested and in a good state of mind.
Do More People Get into Car Accidents in The Spring?
Unfortunately, car accidents do seem to happen more frequently in the springtime. More specifically, the week following daylight savings time has a noticeably large spike in car accidents including an average of a 6% increase in accidents that lead to a fatality. This can be linked back to a lack of sleep, as the hour shift has similar effects to jet lag. This serves as another example of the importance of being well-rested when behind the wheel.
Total Chiropractic Care Can Treat Car Accident Injuries, Whiplash Injuries, And More
Spring is a time for renewal that gets many of us out of the house and on the road. A fun excursion can quickly take a turn with even a minor car accident. After a hospital visit and informing your insurance company, our expert team at Total Chiropractic Care are well trained and equipped to provide chiropractic care for car accident injuries and whiplash. If you’ve been in an accident, don’t wait for the pain to get in the way of your day-to-day life. Contact us today to set up an appointment.