So over the last week or so we’ve gone from beautiful hot sunny days and then all of a sudden the weathers cooled off dramatically and that extra blanket has been thrown back on the bed at night.
So what sort of effect does this have on our health and does it have any effect??
There is a small, diverse group of scientists that study Biometeorology – basically they study how and why the weather effects humans, animals and plant life, the research is varied as we are all very unique in regards to our environmental reactions and responses but there are some interesting points.
How often when the weather changes do people get cold or flu symptoms?? Apparently this is because the rapid temperature swing weakens the immune system and to add to that the cold virus also transmits better in cooler temperatures!! It makes sense when you think about it.
Blood sugar changes and diabetes – any cold front is associated with low pressure, so during cold weather blood viscosity (thickness) increases thus making it more difficult for diabetics to control their blood sugar levels .
Barometric pressure – ‘the weight of the air’ can often lead to headaches or migraines, the reason is unclear but it may have a lot to do with the pressure in the brain and the way the brain responds to that pressure accordingly – food for thought. It is also quite interesting that as the days get longer the increased exposure to light can lead to an increase in headaches and/or migraines.
Sudden changes in barometric pressure, in particular right before a storm occurs can effect our joints, the cooler temperatures effect the fluid and gasses in our joints causing them to expand which puts pressure on the nerves contributing to more discomfort. Im sure we all know somebody that complains of joint pain when the weather sets in!!
To wrap it up we’ll take a quick look at the fat burning effects the weather, during the warmer months we’re obviously sweating a lot more, does this mean we’re burning more fat ??
Unfortunately no – the cooler weather activates our BAT (brown adipose tissue), the increased activation warms up the body which in turn increases caloric expenditure the process of burning calories. Interestingly enough our BAT (brown adipose tissue) use our WAT (white adipose tissue) as fuel, our WAT (white adipose tissue) is the subcutaneous fat found below the skin and around our organs, this is the fat we attempt to lose when trying to get in shape.
