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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lissa on July 7, 2001, at 17:13:55
Several hours before a rain storm, I tend to be in low mood for no apparent reason. It is always before a storm and then the mood lifts once the storm breaks. I don't think it is anything psychological like fear of thunder etc. It is just this strange thing about myself I've noticed for years and have always wondered whether anyone else felt this way. As I am writing this, it has finally begun to rain and I feel better. It is bizarre and I don't mean to make so much out of a petty problem, but does anyone else experience this?
Posted by NikkiT2 on July 7, 2001, at 17:23:11
In reply to stormy weather, posted by lissa on July 7, 2001, at 17:13:55
If I remember correctly, the big storms come in a low pressure, caused when low meets high, so likely to be a pressure change. i always feel them strongly, but often make me hyer and excited. By speaking the friends they agree the air pressue certainly affects their moos... could be an explanation..
Nikki xx
> Several hours before a rain storm, I tend to be in low mood for no apparent reason. It is always before a storm and then the mood lifts once the storm breaks. I don't think it is anything psychological like fear of thunder etc. It is just this strange thing about myself I've noticed for years and have always wondered whether anyone else felt this way. As I am writing this, it has finally begun to rain and I feel better. It is bizarre and I don't mean to make so much out of a petty problem, but does anyone else experience this?
Posted by dreamer on July 7, 2001, at 17:32:52
In reply to stormy weather, posted by lissa on July 7, 2001, at 17:13:55
> Several hours before a rain storm, I tend to be in low mood for no apparent reason. It is always before a storm and then the mood lifts once the storm breaks. I don't think it is anything psychological like fear of thunder etc. It is just this strange thing about myself I've noticed for years and have always wondered whether anyone else felt this way. As I am writing this, it has finally begun to rain and I feel better. It is bizarre and I don't mean to make so much out of a petty problem, but does anyone else experience this?
Not sure about before storm/rain but once knew a social phobic said it made him feel safe because he used it as excuse not to go out as a child.
Posted by geekUK on July 7, 2001, at 20:29:23
In reply to Re: stormy weather, posted by dreamer on July 7, 2001, at 17:32:52
I love storms, when it rains. But they make me fell calm and sad. compleate peace. this is probably due to when I was about 3 and things were bad in the house, I got my little duffa coat on and walked to the end of the garden onto this big blue plastic drum. and sat. got soaked. listened. felt cold and clean. so peaceful. the smell. to this day I open the window at least and sometimes walk in it. Rain is often on newage tapes so its used quite alot for relaxation. the change in pressure may trigger a bit of fear, some people (me included) claim to sense (or smell strangely) rain. I put this down to the pressure change. It is definitly persivable, and this may be a trigger.
Posted by Willow on July 7, 2001, at 22:46:55
In reply to Re: stormy weather, posted by geekUK on July 7, 2001, at 20:29:23
Last year I had a bad ear infection. Now if I get water in the ear it becomes irritated and also changes in weather do a number on it. My head feels like its stuck in a seashell, the noise is bothersome. The humidity drains me out and sometimes after a good rain if it drops I can feel slightly energized, like I kicked a monkey off my back.
Someone else I know believes that all the pollution sits lowere when it is really humid, causing more problems for people.
Is it better in Arizona? I hear a lot of people say this. Perhaps we should move there or the Sahara?
Dry Willow
Posted by shelliR on July 8, 2001, at 18:03:43
In reply to Re: stormy weather, posted by Willow on July 7, 2001, at 22:46:55
> Someone else I know believes that all the pollution sits lowere when it is really humid, causing more problems for people.
>
> Is it better in Arizona? I hear a lot of people say this. Perhaps we should move there or the Sahara?
>
> Dry WillowIt's funny you should write this. I was just sitting here thinking about humidity. How I hate it because it gives me really weird feelings in my body. Especially days with high humidity and no sun. When I am in New Mexico, with the lack of humidity, my body feels so much more alive. I have gotten depressed in NM though, so I don't think that is the solo answer for me. Is there anything one can take (like a herb, etc., )which could balance your body out from too much humidity.
Shelli
Posted by medlib on July 8, 2001, at 20:05:36
In reply to stormy weather, posted by lissa on July 7, 2001, at 17:13:55
Lissa--
You might enjoy this article on weather and health from Intellicast, which also has a US and world Mood Index.
http://www.intellicast.com/Health/Articles/WxHealth/
Storm fronts are lines of low barometric pressure and high humidity. (The lower the pressure, the worse the storm.) These fronts push a curtain of positive ions ahead of them; when 2 fronts collide, positive ion concentration is *really high*. An excess of positive ions is correlated with a downward trend in mood. Some people are more sensitive to ion concentration changes, but large changes affect most people.
Other weather conditions associated with higher positive ion concentration are hot winds blowing from desert areas (called Santa Anas in Los Angeles), and full moons. (Did you know that large ERs regularly staff more heavily on full moons? Patient counts are invariably higher.) Los Angeles police staff more heavily when Santa Ana winds blow (and they blow for days, sometimes weeks); people become much more violent. 9 million people in a bad mood is an awesome phenomenon.
In "olden days", before we could track weather fronts on tv, people who could forecast storms were looked upon with suspicion. I think they were just particularly sensitive to small changes in barometric pressure and positive ion concentration.
Well wishes---medlib
Posted by lissa on July 8, 2001, at 21:46:10
In reply to Re: stormy weather, posted by medlib on July 8, 2001, at 20:05:36
Posted by lissa on July 8, 2001, at 22:02:06
In reply to Re: stormy weather, posted by geekUK on July 7, 2001, at 20:29:23
that was a lovely bit of writing, there.
> I love storms, when it rains. But they make me fell calm and sad. compleate peace. this is probably due to when I was about 3 and things were bad in the house, I got my little duffa coat on and walked to the end of the garden onto this big blue plastic drum. and sat. got soaked. listened. felt cold and clean. so peaceful. the smell. to this day I open the window at least and sometimes walk in it. Rain is often on newage tapes so its used quite alot for relaxation. the change in pressure may trigger a bit of fear, some people (me included) claim to sense (or smell strangely) rain. I put this down to the pressure change. It is definitly persivable, and this may be a trigger.
Posted by annalaura on July 9, 2001, at 2:09:49
In reply to stormy weather, posted by lissa on July 7, 2001, at 17:13:55
> Several hours before a rain storm, I tend to be in low mood for no apparent reason. It is always before a storm and then the mood lifts once the storm breaks. I don't think it is anything psychological like fear of thunder etc. It is just this strange thing about myself I've noticed for years and have always wondered whether anyone else felt this way. As I am writing this, it has finally begun to rain and I feel better. It is bizarre and I don't mean to make so much out of a petty problem, but does anyone else experience this?
I've had the same reactions ; it was years ago though: before the storm broke i was getting sort of anxious/uncomfortable (derealization): it wasn't because of the fear of thunders 'cause many times it
started to rain without me knowing, 'cause there were no thunders/lightenings : i was inside a building and didn't know it was going to happen. My friend's mother who is bipolar used to get excited/hyper during thunderstorms: she used to love that.
I used to get a strange feeling when the night fell also.
Posted by lissa on July 9, 2001, at 18:25:57
In reply to Re: stormy weather, posted by annalaura on July 9, 2001, at 2:09:49
> I've had the same reactions ; it was years ago though: before the storm broke i was getting sort of anxious/uncomfortable (derealization): it wasn't because of the fear of thunders 'cause many times it
> started to rain without me knowing, 'cause there were no thunders/lightenings : i was inside a building and didn't know it was going to happen.I don't feel anxious, I get in a low mood which improves once the storm breaks. Do you think there is a reason why you no longer experience anxiety before storms?
>My friend's mother who is bipolar used to get excited/hyper during thunderstorms: she used to love that.
I wonder whether my mood's often extreme reactions to weather are a sign of bipolarity, but I don't think so, because 'mania' seems like something much more extreme than I experience and seems to have different symptoms. I know I probably don't have seasonal affective disorder, because this happens to me year-round: if it is about to rain or snow, I am in a low mood and if it is sunny, I can be very anxious, agitated, and find it hard to concentrate. Is there a weather-reaction disorder? If so, is there something to take for it?
Posted by Anna Laura on July 10, 2001, at 8:10:11
In reply to Re: stormy weather, posted by lissa on July 9, 2001, at 18:25:57
I don't feel anxious, I get in a low mood which improves once the storm breaks. Do you think there is a reason why you no longer experience anxiety before storms?
I think it depends on the fact that both my anxiety and depression grew better.
I wonder whether my mood's often extreme reactions to weather are a sign of bipolarity, but I don't think so, because 'mania' seems like something much more extreme than I experience and seems to have different symptoms. I know I probably don't have seasonal affective disorder, because this happens to me year-round: if it is about to rain or snow, I am in a low mood and if it is sunny, I can be very anxious, agitated, and find it hard to concentrate. Is there a weather-reaction disorder? If so, is there something to take for it?
I used to get agitated when if it's sunny: i believed to be caused by high pressure in the atmosphere: i read somewhere that research found out that high or low atmosphere pressure might influence/alter brain functioning, especially if you're brain is sensitive already .
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