Have you ever found yourself suddenly becoming sleepy whenever the weather becomes overcast and it starts raining outside? It’s not uncommon to feel like crawling up in bed and having a sleep on a typical day you would be active and out doing things. Rainy days can cause your body to go through a lot of different changes. Almost everything dealing with cloudy days, rain or thunderstorms deals with your body’s reaction to cloudy days and the sound of rain. There are a few reasons why rain makes you sleepy and these reactions you have in relation to the weather.
Changes in hormone levels
The first reason why rain makes you sleepy is associated with the lack of sunlight. When the human body is basking in the suns rays, certain hormones are affected and your body releases less of the hormone melatonin and more serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of general well-being and happiness. This makes people feel more alert and cheerful. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates circadian rhythms which are the natural cycles in the body that occur roughly across the 24 hours period. In humans, circadian rhythms cause physical and mental changes in the body, including feelings of wakefulness and sleep. The low light conditions associated with rainy weather can lead to a spike in melatonin, making you feel drowsy.
Increased negative ion content in the air
The negative ion content in the air increases when it rains. Lightning and the friction between rain and air can produce a large number of negative ions on a rainy day. The increase of negative ions can significantly improve the human nervous system, cardiovascular system, blood system, and respiratory system. People will feel more comfortable during these times when it rains.
Soothing sound of rain
The sound of rain is a soothing and rhythmic ticking sound, which sounds like a wonderful lullaby that can help people fall asleep quickly. The sound rain can create is something called pink noise, which is similar to white noise but differs in terms of energy distribution. Like white noise, pink noise is a mix of all the different frequencies that humans are able to hear, but the different distribution of energy across those frequencies allows it to be a more effective sleep aid.
Boredom
If you are someone that is always on the go outdoors you may simply just get bored when it rains and have nothing to do. You can’t go outside and you can’t do any meaningful household chores you can just resort to kicking back and enjoying the downtime.
Low atmospheric pressure
Low atmospheric pressure leads to rain, and when the atmospheric pressure drops, the oxygen pressure in the air also decreases. In this condition, the body senses a low oxygen supply, so it slows down the metabolism and the body has to work harder to maintain homeostasis. This can put more strain on the body and can be tiring, making you more sluggish and sleepy, leading many to seek a few extra minutes of shut-eye.
Hopefully next time it’s raining outside and you start yawning, you’ll have a better idea as to why the weather is affecting you.