© Copyright Manfred Kaiser 2007
Why am I so tired?
A troubled nervous system goes, therefore, hand in hand with a confused hormone production. The hormones melatonin and serotonin regulate, amongst other functions, our body's biological clock, and with it, our sleep pattern. Any changes to these hormone levels may see a change in the sleep pattern, and tiredness at the wrong time of the day can be the consequence.
In summer, a much more likely cause is a period with high temperatures. While the body adapts to either cold or hot weather, the adjustment process lags behind. Unfortunately, it takes several days before the body catches up, and by then, the temperature may be on the way down again.
The body obviously tries to prevent an overheating of the vital organs and the brain. The cooling effect of evaporating sweat is one way to achieve this, opening the blood vessels to carry more blood to the skin is another. Widening blood vessels results in a drop in blood pressure. In addition, the oxygen level in the blood is per volume lower than it was before the high temperatures arrived.
At the very least, the combination of low blood pressure and low oxygen levels makes us feel tired. People who already suffer from low blood pressure suffer most, and episodes of fainting and dizziness are not uncommon. As a result of tiredness, we become moody and aggressive and we will experience a reduction in reaction time, leading to a higher risk of accidents – on the road and at work.
All three reasons for tiredness come together in the so-
Keeping cool is the obvious antidote on hot days. Cold showers increase blood circulation and help the body to adjust to the higher temperatures more rapidly. Fresh fruit and cold drinks, not alcohol, instead of a heavy meal, will make the heat more bearable.
Tired, weary, listless, fatigued, lethargic, who hasn't experienced such episodes. Can we blame the weather? Yes we can, but with caution. Tiredness due to weather should last only for a few hours or days, while prolonged fatigue is likely a warning signal for a more serious physical or mental problem.
Tiredness is one of the most frequent symptoms of weather sensitivity and the cause can be manifold. An obvious reason is a lack of sleep due to hot and humid nights, or due to the cracking noise of thunderstorms and the howling of the wind.
Not so obvious may be the electromagnetic influence of ions or sferics on our vegetative nervous system. A function of the nervous system is to signal to the endocrine system to either increase of decrease the production of hormones.
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