Falling temperatures: what impact on health?

in collaboration with

Dr. Yves Dour (pharmacist)

Plummeting temperatures

After a few days of mild and mild temperatures, a cold wind swept over France, causing more or less marked drops in temperature in certain areas. The change is clearer in some areas, with the arrival of rather cool precipitation and the return of snow in mountainous regions. On April 1, it is even expected that the thermometer will display temperatures worthy of a month of February.

A real impact on fatigue and immune defences?

A question may then arise: does a dizzying and rapid decrease in temperatures have a negative impact on the body and health? Doctor Yves Dour replies that “presumably yes, but it’s more of an element that comes on top of other things”, like a fatigue already installed for some time, for example. On the side of the immune defenses, a drop in temperatures “does not systematically lead to a drop in immune defenses”, explains the Doctor of Pharmacy.

In effect, “the body adapts very well to temperature variations”. On the other hand, a drop in the body’s resistance can be “linked to a lack of sunlight, because after a while, the body has exhausted its vitamin D resources. This is why the body may seem more tired: it is more stressed, which requires a little more power to react, but in a timely manner”. And to detail that being tired is “rather the consequence of winter fatigue linked to less exposure to light and sun” as the temperature drops.

Seasons that seem disturbed

The expression “in April, do not discover yourself with a thread and in May do as you please” takes on its full meaning in this period, and it is not Doctor Dour who will tell us the opposite. It is true that previously, “the seasons were better marked, with winter looking like winter and spring looking like spring”. As Yves Dour explains, “today, the disorientation of the earth in relation to the sun, the reduction of the ozone layer and the variations in temperature” may suggest that the seasonal cycle will no longer exist. Nevertheless, it is necessary totry to continue to respect the seasons and we are still at the end of the winter period”. It is therefore not surprising to experience cold spells for some time to come.

Some advice to fight against sudden drops in temperature

The Doctor of Pharmacy advises to “taking vitamin C or a vitamin-mineral complex” in order to maintain the balance of the body. To strengthen the immune defenses, “why not bet on a cure of probiotics”. It is also recommended to get enough sleep and that a “little magnesium may respond to better sleep”. Too, “resuming a moderate and progressive physical activity limits the over-solicitation of the body”.