The rain makes you sleepy, or does it?
By Richard Sparago on May 16, 2012, 10:03pm Last modified: January 8, 2013, 3:55pm
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories.
Maybe someone has come up to you in the last few weeks and said, "I'm so tired from all the rain." The recent rains have been a blessing for the drought, but does rain really help you sleep? You may be surprised.
There have been logical theories about why people think they sleep better in the rain. The most prominent is that in high humidity, there is less oxygen in the air, since air molecules have been replaced by water molecules. Less oxygen means increased sluggishness. One study loosely confirmed this. In 2008, a study of Boeing pilots showed that they became less energetic in conditions of low barometric pressure, but there is more evidence to the contrary.
In a study published in Psychology Today, according to research done at the University of Rochester Sleep Laboratory in New York, when the clouds go away, not only do you sleep more soundly, you are more likely to sleep longer.
In the study, 43 subjects were asked to keep sleep diaries for 105 nights. The researchers crosschecked the diaries with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather database and found that the higher the barometer—meaning the better the weather—the more soundly people rested.
Another study, published in JAMA, also showed that clear skies and sunny weather are more likely to lead to better sleep, at least at night. The study coordinated good sleep patterns with better weather, which seems to be the opposite of what we would expect.
So why do we think we sleep better, or at least are more tired, when it rains? Some research suggests that the sound of the rain creates "white noise," canceling out distractions to sleep. However, another theory is more intriguing. This one says that the sound of rain (and of course thunder when applicable) disturbs our sleep. Therefore, because we don't sleep well when it rains, we are more tired.
How have you been sleeping, and have you found yourself more tired the last few weeks? Please leave a comment, so we can do our own WXedge research.
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories.
