Rain & Why You Get Sleepy!
As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers! It’s been pouring cats and dogs! Not really but we’ve had a few encounters with rain and every time, I’m ready to take a nap! I’m sure many of you can relate to this! But why does this occur? Let’s take a dive into the science behind this!
The Science of Sleeping and Showers!
There are actually many contributing factors that apply to why a person may feel like its nap time when it rains.
One of the reasons is a lack of sunlight! As we know, when it rains, it gets cloudy and the sun is blocked! Rain rain, go away! Come again another day! The Sun helps humans release more serotonin and less melatonin! The increase of serotonin makes people feel more awake and cheery. The rainy clouds block this emotional boost. This is in conjunction with your circadian rhythm, the lack of sunlight correlates to to ones circadian rhythm which is essentially your “24-hour clock” which includes
Another factor that you may not realize affects your mood is the humidity that comes when it rains. Humidity makes the air heavy, making our bodies feel heaving, which makes our bodies more tired!! Not only that, humidity that comes from the rain makes people sleepy and lethargic because it hampers the body’s ability to be able to cool itself.
Rain can make you sleepy in the daytime and the nighttime. The rain helps me fall asleep because it makes the place easier to sleep in! What do I mean by that? Well, rain provides “pink noise” which is a type of ambient sound that helps people with sleeping by masking distracting background noise. An environment without any distinct, loud, and distracting noises can help in creating a calming environment. The use of pink noise helps in creating a soft and calming environment in helping one become more relaxed and lax with.
Reduced light levels are like magic and with an overcast of skies and reducing sunlight the body produces more melatonin, the hormone that is responsible with regulating the sleep-wake cycles which causes increased sleepiness (that’s where the magic comes from!).
With rain comes a decrease and drop in barometric pressure. Barometric who-now?! Barometric pressure! Well, barometric pressure is the measurement of air pressure that comes from the atmosphere. With rain, the barometric pressure drops usually follow with a rising pressure following with weather clearing up after. With a lower barometric pressure, this often can affect oxygen levels and with that lack contributes to fatigue and tiredness.
So that’s the science behind why you get sleepy when it rains! All these environmental factors and mental contributions affect your moods, making one feel ready for nap time! Maybe next time you’re about to take a nap during a rainy period, you’ll think of these contributing effects on your body and mind! Trickle trickle trickle
