Der Himmel draußen vor dem Fenster ist grau, der Wind kühler als noch vor ein paar Tagen, er treibt ein paar zerzauste Vögel vor sich her, vielleicht gen Süden. Am Garderobenständer im Büro hängen auf einmal wieder dickere Jacken, sogar ein erster Schal baumelt über der Stange. Die Zeichen sind eindeutig: Der Sommer ist vorbei.
Das mit dem Herbstanfang oft verbundene wechselhafte Wetter hat bei vielen für Antriebslosigkeit und Kopfschmerzen gesorgt. Doch ist daran wirklich das Wetter schuld?
Meteoropathie heißt die Überempfindlichkeit gegenüber Witterungserscheinungen auf Fachdeutsch. Eine Krankheit ist sie nicht, aber auch keine Einbildung. Bereits der griechische Arzt Hippokrates beschäftigte sich mit dem Einfluss des Wetters auf das menschliche Wohlbefinden. Das war um 400 v. Chr.
Seit seiner Gründung 1952 forscht auch der Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD) zu dem Thema. Auf seiner Website kann man sich im Bereich „Gefahrenindizes für Wetterfühlige“ informieren, wie sich das aktuelle Wetter auf das eigene Befinden auswirkt.
Weather-sensitive, weather-sensitive or weather-reactive?
Depending on the effects of the weather on one’s self, one must linguistically distinguish between three groups. Weather responsive We are all like that, explains Kathrin Graw, research assistant at the DWD Center for Medical-Meteorological Research in Freiburg. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for the adaptation, which automatically reacts to changes in temperature to keep the body at operating temperature. Most people don’t notice it.
The situation is different weather-sensitive people. There are already underlying diseases here, the symptoms of which are then exacerbated by the weather. These can be, for example, asthma, rheumatism or cardiovascular problems.
Which people are particularly sensitive to the weather?
Whether the body’s adaptation processes go unnoticed or lead to impairments depends, on the one hand, on the type and intensity of the weather change and, on the other hand, on the general state of health of a person. Chronically ill people are therefore more often affected.
A study conducted by the DWD in 2021 found that for almost half of German citizens (46 percent) the weather has a lot or some influence on their health. There were also gender-specific differences: As a rule, women (56 percent) were significantly more sensitive to the weather than men (36 percent).
Age also played a role. While 27 percent of 16 to 29-year-olds perceived the weather to have a certain to strong influence on their well-being, the figure was twice as high among those over 60. Graw explains this by saying that the body’s ability to regulate itself decreases with age, for example because the blood vessels stiffen and can no longer respond as quickly to heat or cold by expanding or contracting.
When and why does weather sensitivity occur?
According to Graw, there is no specific time of year in which weather sensitivity occurs particularly often. In general, low pressure areas are more likely to cause this than high pressure areas. Weather sensitivity often occurs when a warm front approaches. Because it initiates a low pressure area.
When the temperature rises, the blood vessels expand because the body wants to release more heat through the skin in order to cool itself. This lowers your blood pressure. But if you already suffer from low blood pressure, dizziness can occur as a result. The lungs contract in cold temperatures, but in asthmatics they are already narrowed. This can then lead to increased seizures, says Graw.
How does weather sensitivity manifest itself?
According to the study According to the DWD, the most common symptoms of weather sensitivity are headaches and migraines (62 percent), tiredness (54 percent), fatigue (49 percent), sleep disorders (37 percent) and joint pain (36 percent). 26 percent of those surveyed said they had been unable to do their normal job at least once in the year before the survey.
When the weather is good, being sensitive to the weather can also have a positive effect: it increases your ability to concentrate and has a mood-enhancing effect.
What can you do to prevent weather sensitivity?
Basically, you should try to go out in all weather conditions so that your body gets used to quick adjustments. Graw recommends training primarily for cold stimuli, i.e. deliberately dressing a little too cool “so that the body has to adapt itself”. Alternating showers and sauna sessions could also help.
A balanced sleep rhythm, exercise and a healthy diet can also counteract sensitivity to the weather. Because it often occurs when the body is already stressed, explains Graw.
#Weather #sensitivity