How weather, day and time affect our health

The seasonal fluctuations in our health and mood are certainly another area of scientific research. The weather, the day, the time, the season, and the month all play a role and influence certain diseases as well as their symptoms. In general, we can say that for many conditions affecting our bodies, whether physiological or pathological, there may be a significant change in their manifestation during different seasons of the year, which may result from either internal changes in the body or influences from the external environment.

How It Affects Our Health

• Our blood pressure is better regulated when the weather improves and gets warmer, so people with high blood pressure find that their blood pressure stabilizes better in the spring and summer than in the fall and especially in the winter.

• Our respiratory and circulatory systems are among those most affected by extreme weather conditions, particularly extreme temperature fluctuations.

• Thyroid and adrenal disorders, such as hyperthyroidism and adrenal insufficiency, are significantly exacerbated and require special precautions to maintain some balancein the patients’ bodies during the summer; conversely, people with hypothyroidism have a harder time tolerating the cold of winter.

• Cold and humidity have a negative effect on various rheumatic conditions, resulting in people with bone and joint conditions experiencing a significant worsening of their symptoms during periods of cold and humidity.

Does a fever tend to rise more easily at night?;

You’ve surely noticed that, in both children and adults, fever tends to spike in the evening and late afternoon. This has to do with the body’s “thermostat.” This is the thermoregulatory center, located in the hypothalamus of the brain, which controls the rise and fall of body temperature. This ability to regulate body temperature, however, appears to decrease in the afternoon, with the result that when you have a fever caused by certain bacteria or viruses, it tends to rise in the afternoon and into the evening.

Is the heart at greater risk on Monday?;

If every day were Sunday and it were always summer, without humidity, perhaps no one would be at risk of having a heart attack. But there’s also winter, and Mondays and Tuesdays, when our hearts are more vulnerable. Specifically, every winter, in December, on Mondays in the early morning hours when it’s very cold and humid, most heart attacks occur.

On the contrary, every summer, in June, and on Tuesdays and Sundays, the fewest heart attacks are recorded. So why in winter, and why on Mondays? There is no scientific explanation, but experts speculate that this is due to increased humidity and cold weather, as well as intense stress at the start of the week. Strokes, however, usually strike early in the morning and tend to occur on the first day of the week.

This happens because, while at night the body is under the influence of the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the circulatory system, upon waking, the body’s sympathetic nervous system is immediately activated, resulting in sudden changes in heart rate and blood pressure (tachycardia, increased blood pressure).

It is also worth noting that researchers from the Yale School of Public Health found possible associations between specific weather conditions and the occurrence of strokes.

Large daily fluctuations in temperature, as well as high humidity levels, are associated with higher rates of hospitalization due to stroke. Daily temperature fluctuations and increased humidity may ultimately act as stressors.

A headache on… Saturday night

Routine isn’t always a bad thing, especially when it comes to headaches. You’ll likely notice that you spend some weekends with a headache. Anything that disrupts your routine often makes the situation worse, which might mean you’re sleeping fewer or more hours than you need, or that you’ve changed the number of meals you eat.

Furthermore, although it has not yet been well documented, it has been observed that high humidity may be linked to frequent headaches. It is therefore not surprising that more cases of headaches are reported in the northern and humid regions of Greece than in areas with lower humidity.

So, climatic conditions do play a role, since westerly winds, southerly winds, and humidity all seem to make migraines worse.

Do pimples flare up when it rains?;

Humid weather can worsen acne by increasing sebaceous gland activity and contributing to the growth of staphylococcus, which is blamed for causing acne. In addition, it worsens fungal skin infections, such as «athlete’s foot,» since fungi thrive better in a humid environment. Beyond these effects, however, humidity helps pollutants cling to the skin.

That’s why it’s important to wash your face and body thoroughly and dry your skin well. On your feet, use powder to reduce moisture and prevent fungal infections.

Sunday Blues

For many of us, Sunday afternoons are melancholy. In general, when it gets dark, many people feel melancholy, and when the weather is gloomy, that melancholy intensifies. This change in mood has been termed «Seasonal Affective Disorder.».

This disorder refers to depression that occurs with the changing of the seasons, with winter depression—which is associated with reduced sunlight—being the most common. In other words, it occurs when the days get shorter and there is less sunlight.

This emotional disorder is accompanied by a lack of joy and interest, drowsiness, and an increased appetite for sweets or starchy foods. And of all the days of the week, Sunday afternoon is the most… burdensome, since many people complain that after noon on that day they usually feel worse, as their obligations begin again the next day.

We feel more pain at night

The body’s levels of natural painkillers (endorphins) decrease at night. Pain is also usually more intense in the evening because the body is at rest, and without the activities of the day, the stimuli received by the brain are reduced, allowing attention to focus on the pain, which consequently becomes more noticeable and intense.

Asthma flares up on spring evenings

Lung function normally declines during the night, which has no impact on healthy people. In patients with asthma, however, this decrease in lung function makes their condition even more difficult to manage. Most attacks occur primarily at night, when the parasympathetic nervous system—which is dominant during the evening hours—leads to bronchoconstriction.

Asthma attacks can occur at any time of year, but there are certain seasons when they are more common. Thus, according to experts, since asthma attacks are associated with exposure to allergens, humid weather, and viral infections, we have:

• More attacks occur in the spring and fall (allergic asthma), seasons when pollen levels are high.

• Symptoms can also occur in the winter, but they are usually related to infections or allergies to house dust.