Meteosensitivity and meteolabilities: how does the weather affect us?

Meteosensitivity is a completely normal and physiological reaction in every human being. Meteolability is an exaggerated sensitivity to weather changes, i.e. a pathologically increased meteosensitivity. Such a reaction is no longer common and typical for all people.

Are you meteoresistant or meteolabile?

Man is an emotional being. It is normal for his emotions and mood to change and adapt to the world around him.

For example, when the weather is beautifully sunny, it is easier to be in a good and positive mood, and our worries are handled a little better. If, on the other hand, the weather is cloudy, drizzly and rainy, many people are in a gloomier mood and more prone to depression.

Weather-related mood changes are a normal physiological reaction of the mind. This reaction to weather changes is called meteosensitivity and is considered the norm.

People who are affected by weather changes only emotionally and mood-wise are called meteostable or meteoresistant.

The important thing is that their health does not change. Physically, they feel the same on sunny, rainy and windy days. Their health problems do not get worse when the weather changes.

If you experience physical discomfort in addition to a change in mood when the weather or climate changes, you are probably already experiencing meteolabilities.

The term "lability" means volatility or changeability.

Meteo labile people are also referred to as "meteopaths" in some foreign literature.

Who is most at risk of succumbing to meteolability?

Recent statistics show that hypersensitivity to changes in weather conditions is a relatively common pathology in modern times.

In the temperate zone, where all four seasons alternate, approximately one in three people suffer from meteolabilities.

Age differences are not as alarming as gender differences. Up to 70 % of the population of meteolabilitic people are women. In addition to weather changes, the fairer sex reacts more violently to full and new moons, magnetic storms and atmospheric pressure fluctuations.

If you come from a rural area, you may avoid health problems when the climate changes. On the other hand, people from the city are more prone to meteosensitivity.

This is a well-known difference in lifestyle, which is healthier, more balanced and calmer in the countryside. People in the country have more outdoor exercise and less stress.

A few reasons why people living in the city have a higher risk of becoming a meteosensitive person:

• too many stressful stimuli, more noise and light smog.
• sedentary lifestyle, increase in the number of people engaged in mental work
• inappropriate diet, skipping meals, more fast food options that are not balanced, causing macro- and micronutrient deficiencies
• the deterioration of the environmental situation, industry and numerous technical enterprises with increased dust and chemical air pollution, risk of groundwater contamination, etc.

As regards the time taken for symptoms to worsen, the statistics are also well known.

The vast majority (i.e. up to 90 % of meteopaths) experience a deterioration in health directly when the climate changes suddenly. The remaining 10 % of meteopaths 'wait' on average 1 to 2 days for symptoms.

A small percentage of people are so-called prophets.

I'm sure you've also met a person who could predict snow, rain or fog two days in advance based on their aching knees.

What difficulties can the weather aggravate?

Changes in weather conditions most affect patients with cardiovascular, joint, gastrointestinal, neurological and endocrine diseases.

Patients with these chronic diseases are particularly affected by meteorological weakness. They also experience fluctuations in weather patterns that cause long-term stable health problems.

The most common meteorological disorders

1. Fluctuations in atmospheric pressure

This variation is mainly related to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), bone and joint disease, older head and chest injuries, infectious diseases of the respiratory system, ENT problems, gastrointestinal diseases and increased intracranial pressure.

Diseases associated with reduced tissue oxygen concentration such as obstructive lung disease, asthma, pneumonia, pulmonary emphysema, congenital heart disease and anaemia can also cause problems.

Changes in external air pressure affect such things as body cavity pressure, skin moisture, blood leukocyte counts, and more.

When differences in atmospheric pressure are small, most healthy people do not even feel them. They may feel worse when pressure changes are large and sudden.

However, more emotionally unstable people may experience psychological discomfort even with minor changes in atmospheric pressure, e.g. bad mood, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, etc.

In patients with heart disease, a sudden change in pressure can cause arrhythmias and fluctuations in blood pressure.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffer unpleasant pain. Persons with previous chest trauma or chronic pleurisy experience intense chest pain.

2. Sudden change in environmental temperature

In this situation, neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases are echoed. When the temperature drops, a protracted infectious inflammation may worsen.

The most ideal temperature for the human body is around 22-24 °C. Higher ambient temperatures cause a drop in blood pressure, increased sweating. This leads to loss of body fluids and dehydration of the body.

Blood becomes thicker and more viscous. This impairs blood supply to the organs and increases the risk of thrombosis, i.e. the formation of clots in the venous system.

Too low temperatures are also unfavourable, when blood vessels dilate, i.e. vasodilate. This condition is dangerous for people with vascular and heart disease, who may start to experience headaches and other symptoms.

However, the biggest problems are caused by rapid jumps in ambient temperature of more than 4 °C. Rapid temperature changes cause disturbances in the immune system and thermoregulatory centres.

Such a shock to the body can be associated with the development of respiratory and autoimmune diseases.

3. Humidity fluctuations

The change will be felt by people with chronic skin diseases, with vascular diseases and people with respiratory diseases.

Increased humidity is a stress factor especially for the cardiovascular system. Changes in humidity can therefore aggravate problems with high blood pressure, heart disease and atherosclerosis of the blood vessels.

4. Change in weather conditions

Windy weather will afflict people with skin diseases, eye diseases, neurological and respiratory problems.

During warm summers, a gentle breeze can be refreshing, but winds faster than 6 m/s have a different effect. People with nervous system diseases or people with mood disorders may feel irritable and anxious.

If the wind blows strongly in winter, it makes the cold feeling even worse. In particular, chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system are aggravated. Severe migraines or headaches may also occur.

Exposure to the wind itself directly causes drying of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, lips or oral cavity. Cracks form in dry areas, which are prone to bacterial infection.

5. Too much UV radiation from the sun

Increased sun exposure can aggravate skin diseases, autoimmune and cancer diseases.

It has long been known that lack of sun exposure can cause poor mood, neuroses, impaired immunity and diseases caused by vitamin D hypovitaminosis.

On the other hand, exposure to strong sunlight can trigger photodermatitis, cause sunburn, dehydration and even tumour growth.

6. Changes in the Earth's electromagnetic field and magnetic storms

These changes are more difficult to predict. They do not occur in normal weather forecasts, but can affect human health. These are mainly CNS and brain diseases, such as older head injuries.

7. The cycle of the seasons

When the seasons change, many people experience a deterioration in health. In the autumn-winter cycle, this is particularly related to weakened immunity, bacterial inflammation and digestive tract diseases. When spring and summer alternate, exhaustion and chronic fatigue can occur.

Meteoneurosis, a problem for young and healthy people

Sometimes meteorological influences will manifest themselves even in a perfectly healthy person who does not suffer from chronic illnesses. A sudden change in the weather can cause him to suffer from illnesses he was previously unaware of.

In this case, it is meteoneurosis. It is characterized by the inability of the organism to adapt to external conditions due to a violation of neuroendocrine regulation.

When does meteoneurosis occur?

The risk factors are as follows:

• sedentary lifestyle
• staying in a closed space with insufficient access to fresh air
• being overweight
• habits such as smoking and alcoholism, excessive coffee drinking
• overeating
• increased psychological stress
• lack of physical activity
• stress
• genetic predispositions

Can meteolabilities be treated?

When trying to address meteolabilities, it is important to remember that each organism reacts differently to weather changes.

The body's response is influenced by many variables such as age, gender, chronic illness, personality type, emotional disposition, etc.

Therefore, the approach to treating weather instability has its own established standards. At some points, it may be different for each person.

Alleviating meteosensitivity, i.e. mood swings in adult patients, will involve the following steps:

• increasing physical activity
• hardening
• walking and outdoor exercise, e.g. brisk walking, running, skiing
• limiting smoking, drinking alcohol and coffee

A very important point in managing meteolability is a good night's rest.

Sleep disturbances such as insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, short sleep duration and sleep apnoea impair the body's adaptability and preparedness for climate change.

Therapeutic baths are beneficial. You can prepare such baths at home. A mildly refreshing bath at a temperature of around 20 °C is best.

If the cold is aggravating your health problems, the bath water temperature should not fall below 30 °C. A therapeutic bath lasts no longer than 5 minutes and is best taken first thing in the morning.

A warm bath in the evening after a busy day is soothing. The water temperature can be as low as 38 °C. This is suitable for bedtime and can take 30-40 minutes.

The relaxing effect can be enhanced by adding herbs, aromatic oils or bath salts.

Such a treatment regime should include at least 15 baths, preferably twice a year, in March and October.

Being overweight is one of the major risk factors for meteolability. If you are overweight, you should reassess your eating habits.

Particularly in times of bad weather, it is not advisable to consume fatty, heavy, over-sweetened foods, fast food and convenience foods. They put strain on the stomach and shift blood circulation to the digestive organs, thereby impairing blood flow to the brain.

This increases your sluggishness, worsens fatigue, migraines and bad moods.

A piece of dark chocolate to cope with mild depression is, of course, allowed.

A diet that brings you balance should include meals of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats and fish, fermented dairy products, eggs and vegetable oils.

The following foods should be avoided

During pregnancy, the expectant mother's body undergoes significant changes that also affect her ability to adapt to external conditions. These are mainly hormonal fluctuations that disrupt her steady biorhythms.

As the expectant mother's body works for two, she has an increased consumption of oxygen. With low atmospheric pressure, low blood pressure is experienced and blood circulation to the tissues is impaired, which has a negative effect on the heart, digestive tract and nervous system.

During this period, mothers may become more nervous, tired, suffer from insomnia and depression.

Meteosensitivity in children

Newborns are most sensitive to changes in weather and especially ambient temperatures.

Excessive heat quickly leads to overheating and dehydration, which is very dangerous for the baby. Differences in pressure can provoke unpleasant symptoms in the digestive tract.

Meteosensitivity is manifested in children under one year by lethargy, tearfulness, intestinal colic and inappetence.

In older children, meteosensitivity most often manifests itself in nervous system disorders that work hand in hand with psychological factors in the child's environment.

The occurrence of migraines, headaches, anxiety, depression and other difficulties can be triggered by the stress of schoolwork, exams, entrance examinations, etc.

At that time, hypersensitivity to changes in the external environment increases. In direct proportion to this, the number of meteosensitive patients among children and adolescents also increases.