Many complain about sensitivity to the weather. However, science has no explanation for numerous complaints. Which still helps
Don’t always see the negative. Instead, dare to take a friendly look at the world more often. That makes life easier. So why not do the same with the weather? More specifically: in its effects on our body.
They can definitely be positive, says Professor Andreas Matzarakis from the German Weather Service (DWD). Cold stimuli stimulate the circulation, which can be positive for people with a healthy heart. Nevertheless, weather-related complaints are often the focus.
Most people freeze when it’s cold. Get red skin if left in the sun for too long. Some feel sluggish and tired in the morning as it gets darker and darker in autumn and winter. Or their eyes water when strong winds blow in their faces. Normal.
Our body reacts to external influences such as temperature, UV radiation and wind. “Every healthy person is weather-responsive. And that around the clock,” says Matzarakis. He heads the Center for Medical Meteorological Research in Freiburg at the DWD.
The hairdryer is only one factor
On the other hand, those who are sensitive to the weather have problems, especially when the weather changes. This can be the case, for example, with the southern Bavarian foehn phenomenon, when the temperature rises rapidly or a low is approaching, which is usually announced by a warm air front.
According to surveys, headaches and migraines, tiredness and exhaustion, joint pain and sleep disorders are among the most common complaints. Experts like Matzarakis are convinced: in many cases, the vegetative nervous system is behind it, which cannot be controlled at will. If the weather changes too quickly, the body has problems adapting. But Matzarakis narrows it down: The weather is always just one of many factors that influence personal well-being. After all, the human organism is always in interaction with its environment. And that consists not only of the weather, but also of air pollution or noise.
In addition, there are personal circumstances such as stress, the current state of health, the hormone balance or biorhythm. “How did I sleep, how did I start the day – all of this plays a role in whether I have a headache or not,” says Matzarakis.
But: While there is a causal connection between sunburn and UV radiation with clear mechanisms of action, it is almost impossible to prove weather sensitivity in the laboratory. Atmospheric physicist Hans Richner is not the only one who believes that the connection between weather and symptoms is subjective.
“Just because raspberry ice cream consumption and the number of heat strokes on hot summer days are increasing, no one would claim that eating raspberry ice cream causes heat stroke,” criticizes the emeritus professor from the Institute for Atmosphere and Climate at ETH Zurich. The opposite would probably be the case.
References not proven
Hans Richner has researched the subject for decades and thinks: Scientific studies on weather sensitivity would only ever show correlations, not causal relationships.
The meteorologist Matzarakis can only refer to correlations. But these are well documented, says the expert. And: “People don’t imagine their symptoms.” Anyone and everyone affected can actively do something about the symptoms. Often the body has forgotten how to deal with the weather outside: Namely because we spend a lot of time in air-conditioned rooms. He can no longer adapt quickly and easily.
Matzarakis therefore recommends going out regularly and, above all, in all weathers. Regular sauna sessions, alternating showers and endurance sports train the circulatory system and challenge the vegetative nervous system, which regulates the size of the blood vessels.
Sensitive ones actually suffer
In addition to the group of people sensitive to the weather, there is a second group of people who suffer from the weather: the weather-sensitive.
For them, certain weather conditions exacerbate existing complaints caused by chronic illnesses or injuries. Rheumatic or worn joints can hurt more at low temperatures because tendons, cartilage and synovial fluid may then be less supple, so the theory goes. Another explanation is that people then simply move less and less relaxed.
The risk of a heart attack , on the other hand , is higher in patients with a corresponding predisposition, for example with high blood pressure : the cold can lead to vasoconstriction in them.
Sensitivity to weather is now considered scientifically well proven. Richner also sees signs of connections here in studies.
However, there is no physical explanation for the fact that some people who are sensitive to the weather are “sensitive”, i.e. they sense changes even before changes occur: the frequently suspected sferics – electromagnetic waves that arise when the weather changes – have too little field strength on the body for them to overlap with electrical nerve stimuli and could cause complaints.
And if atmospheric pressure fluctuations had a negative impact, according to Hans Richner, the same would have to happen when traveling in an elevator. “I don’t know whether there is a sensitivity either,” says the atmospheric physicist. Nevertheless, if they actually exist, we are still a long way from understanding them.
Either way: If you suffer from certain weather conditions, you can take so-called bio-weather forecasts into account when planning your day.
Above all, Andreas Matzarakis from the German Weather Service recommends exposing yourself to the most diverse weather stimuli as often as possible and wearing appropriate clothing. His goal: to make positive use of the beneficial properties of the weather. And the negative effects are less noticeable. “Weather is a cocktail. We like it when the mix is right.”