Weather: Consequences for Health

Fatigue, headaches or joint pain: many of these complaints are associated with the weather. The so-called “weather sensitivity” is a well-known phenomenon. In 2013, as part of an extensive study by the German Weather Service, around 1,600 Germans stated in a survey that they saw a connection between the weather and their own health. But what is the real impact of weather sensitivity and which weather events influence our well-being?

Weather sensitivity: it affects everyone differently

The range of weather sensitivity symptoms is wide. It ranges from headaches and aching limbs to frequent listlessness to lack of concentration and irritability. In particularly sensitive people, weather sensitivity, also called biotropy, can even lead to insomnia, depression and a general disinclination to live. The main sufferers tend to be women rather than men, and older rather than younger people. The weather cannot make people ill in the true sense of the word. However, it can aggravate existing diseases or diseases hidden in the body. Scientists distinguish different degrees of severity:

  • “Weather reactive” are all people, even those who do not want to admit it. For example, people are usually in a better mood in sunny weather with pleasant temperatures than in rain and cold.
  • “Weather-sensitive” are those people whose autonomic (non-influenceable) nervous system is extremely sensitive. Their threshold of irritation is so low that changes in air pressure and temperature are immediately expressed in complaints, such as fatigue, fatigue, reluctance to work, concentration and sleep disorders.
  • From “weather sensitive” we speak when weather changes existing diseases, such as cardiovascular complaints, arteriosclerosis and rheumatism, worsen or old injuries (fractures) again cause pain.

Health consequences of the weather

When the cold sets in, veins and veins constrict and blood pressure rises. The risk of heart attacks, thrombosis and strokes increases. In contrast, when the temperature rises sharply and the weather is muggy, the veins and arteries dilate. In people with low blood pressure, headaches and dizziness are the result. The reason: the heart has to pump much more blood through the body in the same amount of time. Those suffering from high blood pressure, on the other hand, usually feel better in this weather condition. Arteriosclerosis mainly affects older people. Their organism often reacts to the smallest changes in air pressure. The result is pain throughout the body. These people are particularly sensitive to the onset of low pressure.

Gravity waves: Fluctuations in air pressure

Why some of those affected feel the change in weather with attacks of pain two days before it occurs is still unclear. It is thought that fluctuations in air pressure irritate sensitive receptors on the blood vessels, thus upsetting the circulatory system. These fluctuations in air pressure are called “gravity waves.” They occur whenever layers of air rub against each other. The air masses move at different speeds and in opposite directions. This creates vibrations in the air that travel at the speed of sound. These oscillations are held responsible for various complaints of the cardiovascular system. However, the current state of studies does not allow a clear statement about a connection.

Spherics: pulses of electromagnetic waves.

Another weather phenomenon is electromagnetic and light pulses called spherics. Spherics often occur before thunderstorms, bad weather or fair weather fronts, and when cold and warm air masses meet. They precede the actual weather events with almost the speed of light. Sensitive people may therefore experience the first symptoms long before the weather changes. It is assumed that spherics can influence the electrical stimulus transmission of the nervous system. Shielding from these waves or rays is not possible. They penetrate through every house wall and thus also cause the well-known radio interferences. However, whether and to what extent gravity waves and spherics actually trigger weather sensitivity has not yet been sufficiently clarified scientifically.However, a 1995 joint study by the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and the Children’s Hospital and Polyclinic of the Technical University of Munich showed an association between Spherics and the increased incidence of epileptic seizures.

The cause is in the air

Research has now been conducted into when Central Europeans feel most comfortable. Nature has indeed arranged it so that the human organism can withstand climate fluctuations of up to 20 degrees Celsius and more without major problems. But at a moderate temperature of 20 to 25 degrees, sunshine and high-pressure weather, the strain on the circulatory system is usually at its lowest. However, even this statement does not apply without restrictions, because: Low air exchange, which is typical for permanent high-pressure areas, leads to an accumulation of pollutants in air layers close to the ground in both summer and winter. And so, in extremely hot summers, not only the blistering heat, but also dust and ozone can lead to sometimes severe physical complaints.

Weather-sensitive? 11 tips for at home

Weather-sensitive people can do a few things to improve their well-being. The buzzword is to toughen up (desensitize).

  1. Keep yourself regularly informed about the bio-weather. There are recommendations for proper behavior.
  2. Expose yourself consciously to weather stimuli. Best with walks in the fresh air. This hardens and makes less sensitive to weather stimuli.
  3. A similar effect have new climate stimuli. Therefore, go as often as possible to the sea or the mountains.
  4. Through a regular physical activity such as brisk walking or swimming, you can increase the adaptability of your body.
  5. With alternating showers (hot and cold), sauna, massage, gymnastics, mud baths, thermal baths and Kneipp casts, you can raise the threshold of irritation to weather influences.
  6. Complaints such as concentration problems, fatigue, nervousness, headaches and mood swings can be improved by a healthy lifestyle. This includes especially a renunciation of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, as well as sufficient sleep.
  7. Mental upsets are often symptoms of overwork in the family and at work. Through climatic stimuli, they can be amplified. Remedy create relaxation exercises such as autogenic training, Tai Chi and yoga.
  8. Unnecessary stress should be avoided as far as possible. Allow yourself sufficient rest.
  9. Keep a weather sensitivity diary. It helps to find out which weather conditions you are particularly sensitive to and thus actively prevent. Avoid specifically things that increase your weather sensitivity.
  10. Drink enough: In high temperatures, it often already improves the physical well-being, if you take enough liquid to himself. Lukewarm teas or vegetable broths thereby burden the circulation less than ice-cold drinks.
  11. Herbal remedies: remedies with ginger stick root help against dizziness. These can be used in the form of medicines or as a tea infusion. For headaches, relaxing baths with rosemary or valerian can relieve symptoms. Slight depressive moods counteract valerian and St. John’s wort.