Does weather change really affect human health - doctor's comment
Kyiv • UNN
Candidate of Medical Sciences Otto Stoika spoke about the influence of weather conditions on human mood and well-being. He noted that there is no clear pattern, and the influence of weather is a background factor.
Sharp temperature changes, atmospheric pressure changes, shorter daylight hours, but can weather conditions really affect health? Otto Stoika, Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor at the Kyiv City Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and public health expert, told UNN journalist more about weather changes and their impact on human mood and well-being.
Details
With the onset of cold weather or during a sharp thaw, many people complain of headaches, joint pain, and pressure fluctuations. This is often explained by magnetic storms or changes in atmospheric pressure. However, medicine approaches the issue much more cautiously.
There is no clear pattern. One cannot say that if the pressure decreases, there will be one symptom, and if it increases, another. Some people are more sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure, and some are less. Most often, the head reacts, and joints may ache. But this is a milder effect than, for example, pressure drops in an airplane, and it is not so obvious
According to the doctor, the influence of weather on a person's well-being is rather a background factor than the root cause of problems, and if a person is healthy, they usually should not feel significant changes.
The body is adapted to be in balance. Arterial pressure often rises as a compensatory mechanism to deliver blood to the brain. If the vessels are affected by atherosclerosis or the heart works weaker, then the signals in the body intensify to raise the pressure. But this is already a matter of the cardiovascular system, not the weather
However, the influence of weather on the human body cannot be considered separately from the general state of health, emphasizes Otto Stoika. For example, age, lifestyle, and the presence of chronic diseases have much greater weight.
With age, problems with the heart and blood vessels often arise. Blood vessels become less elastic, and hypertrophy of the heart muscle can develop. For some, more, for some, less, and this depends on lifestyle. Therefore, the same weather change will have a different effect on different people
Separately, the public health expert draws attention to behavioral risk factors. They determine how sensitive a person will be to external changes.
The main risk factors are smoking, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diet, and a sedentary lifestyle. They lead to the development of arterial hypertension and diabetes, which are the number one chronic diseases in the world. And they, in turn, lead to strokes and heart attacks. And against this background, people may feel the change in weather more strongly
Often people also talk about the influence of weather on mood. In particular, reduced sunlight, short days, and cold can indeed affect emotional state. But here too, individual sensitivity plays an important role.
The sun affects, in particular, through the production of vitamin D. With age, the skin synthesizes it worse, and this can affect the general condition. But again, this is one of the factors. Much more important are adequate sleep, physical activity, and the overall balance of the body
And can chronic diseases worsen due to seasonal changes? The doctor says that this is possible, but not directly. Rather, it is about a combination of several factors.
Hypertension may worsen, joints or old injury sites may react. But this does not mean that you need to be treated for the weather. Doctors do not give recommendations like: today it's minus 20 - take these pills. We treat specific conditions, not atmospheric pressure
So what to do to better tolerate seasonal changes? The recipe, according to the doctor, remains classic. And it is much simpler than searching for a universal pill.
You need to know your blood pressure and control it. Regular physical activity strengthens the cardiovascular system, because blood vessels become more elastic, and the heart becomes more resilient. Adequate sleep, quitting smoking, moderation in alcohol, and rational nutrition are important. All this in combination reduces sensitivity to external factors, and also makes life better
As a result, a simple formula emerges: the healthier the body, the less it reacts to temperature or pressure fluctuations. The weather, indeed, has an impact, but mostly on those whose body is already weakened. Therefore, the best prevention of seasonal "swings" remains systematic self-care at any age.
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