When a storm approaches, do your joints hurt? Though your joints aren’t the only portion of your body influenced by the weather, you can thank it on the shift in barometric pressure.
The impact of weather on your body and the natural world is so diverse that it has its own scientific discipline: biometeorology. It’s a tiny but diverse group of scientists who investigate how — and why — weather affects animals, plants, and humans. The weather has a wide range of effects on your health, from affecting symptoms of current disorders to contributing to new conditions and causing transitory physiological changes inside your body.
However, determining what specific weather events do to the body is an imprecise science that is still evolving, especially when it comes to pain and emotional health.
“When the weather changes, it’s rarely just one variable,” he explained. “Is a change in temperature having an impact on a person’s health? Is it the shift in wind or the amount of cloud cover? It’s difficult to determine which changes influence humans, and because we rely heavily on human perceptions, quantifying how these changes effect humans is much more difficult.”
BP
As air pressure lowers, your blood pressure drops. Because low temperatures lead blood vessels to constrict, blood pressure is lower in the summer.
Suicide
According to biometeorologist Grady Dixon, P.h.D., who studies weather and emotional health, self-harm has a season. Suicides are more common in the late spring and early summer, and bad emotions are more frequent on chilly, overcast days in general.
Asthama
Asthma and allergy symptoms can be exacerbated by changing seasons and hot weather, with the growing season and air pollution playing a significant influence. What’s the solution? Before the spring weather approaches, make sure you have your allergy medications on hand.
Headaches
Some people have headaches as a result of barometric pressure, while the explanation for this is unknown. It could impact brain pressure or the way the brain blocks pain, or it could be evolutionary in nature, as it keeps individuals in touch with their surroundings.
Heart ailments
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit drop in temperature is linked to an additional 200 heart attacks in the United States. Higher blood pressure, a higher risk of blood clots, and strenuous activity like shoveling all raise the risk.
So take care!
