Weather can have a bigger impact on mental health than you might think.
The majority of people don’t like rain and prefer the sun. But for some, weather variations have a very strong impact on their mental health, even going so far as to become downright depressed in the middle of May or June because the weather is not good enough for them to feel good in their body and in their head.
What does it mean to be weather-sensitive?
If bad weather puts you in a sad mood, your smile returns with the sun’s rays or the drop in temperatures causes you health problems, you are probably weather-sensitive. Being weather-sensitive means being sensitive to changes in the weather. “We live in the heart of the atmosphere constantly, our body reacts to exposure to natural light, and we breathe 10,000 to 15,000 liters of air per day. This inevitably has an impact: we are all weather sensitive” declared meteorologist Louis Bodin on 20minutes on the occasion of the release of his book “We are all weather-sensitive”. For the most sensitive, weather conditions impact both mood and physical fitness. “According to two studies carried out in Canada and Germany, health problems such as dizziness, headaches, joint pain and even depressive states can be attributable to climatic variations in these people”, explains psychiatrist Patrick Lemoine. Women, children and people over 60 are particularly affected by this phenomenon.
“Lack of light impacts the secretion of a happiness hormone”
It seems that it is variations in light that cause mood disorders because brightness plays a role in the proper functioning of our internal clock and the biological functions that result from it (sleep cycles, hormonal production, temperature regulation). body, mood regulation, etc.). Therefore when it rains, we lack light and morale drops. “The lack of light impacts the secretion of one of the hormones of happiness and well-being: serotonin, specifies Dr. Lemoine. However, it plays an important role in sleep, the regulation of eating behaviors, libido, irritability, etc. When it is lacking in the body, it can cause depressive states and a cascade of feelings of unease. be.” According to Louis Bodin, “physiologically, human beings feel in the best physical and moral mood when the temperature is between 15 and 25 degrees”.
Typical signs of a weather-sensitive person
On a physical level:
- Fatigue
- Sleep problems
- Headaches
- Breathing difficulties, even asthma attack
On a mental level:
- Depressive states and depression
- Ruminations
- Intellectual fatigue
Circumventing the weather conditions to maintain a good mood despite the gloomy weather is possible! You can :
► expose yourself to natural daylight for at least 1 hour per day. “The ideal is to practice physical activity, even if only walking,” recommends the psychiatrist
► equip yourself with a 10,000 lux light therapy lamp and expose yourself to it every day for 30 minutes;
► respect your bedtime and wake-up times in order to have the most restful sleep possible;
► enrich your diet with foods rich in omega 3, these essential fatty acids that help fight depression.
► take a course of vitamin D, this nutrient also helps regulate our moods and fight against seasonal depression.
Thanks to Dr. Patrick Lemoine, psychiatrist and author of “What are the symptoms for”, Eds. Odile Jacob.