As the unprecedented period of rain continues to soak most of the UK, here’s how it could be bringing down your mood
Feeling fed up because of all the rain? You may not be alone. Bad weather can affect our mood in several ways, and the current rainy spell is one of the longest known in recent UK history.
Britons have been putting up with at least some rain nearly every day for up to 41 days, depending on their location, since the start of the year.
It is all down to an unusual weather system that has brought a “conveyor belt” of winter storms over the UK, according to the Met Office.
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Impact of grey skies on our mood
Some people get a surge of depression symptoms every winter, thought to be connected to the lack of sunlight when days are shorter, a pattern called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.
Grey skies when it rains mean that our exposure to daylight is even less – and so it could worsen symptoms of low mood.
Even if you don’t have full-blown SAD, the same mechanisms could still be bringing you down, said Dr Jane Scott, a psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University, who researches the condition.
“We think there are mild levels of SAD that don’t come to attention.”
Soggy fields, such as these, in Somerset, can make it harder to get out of the house (Photo: Ben Birchall/PA)
Daylight is normally sensed by cells at the back of the eye, which act as a master regulator for the body clock. A lack of daylight may therefore disrupt our normal circadian rhythms, which can affect brain chemicals involved in mood, including one called serotonin.
As well as the usual treatments for depression, like talking therapy and antidepressants, people with SAD may use special light boxes that mimic natural light.
Those affected are also advised to get as much natural daylight as possible – which can be less appealing when it is bucketing down. “If we’re talking about the effect of rain, it’s partly the effect of low light. And in addition to that, there’s the impact of the actual rain,” said Dr Scott.
“It’s horrible to ride your bike when you’re getting splashed by cars, and you can’t go out and do your outdoor activities. Your sport might be interrupted. If you’re somebody who works outdoors, your work is interrupted. So there’s that extra annoyance factor of rainy days.”
Effect of too much time indoors
Whether or not you have SAD, getting out less could also worsen your mood because physical exercise is thought to help keep depression symptoms at bay.
In fact, exercise is as effective as both talking therapy and medication at treating depression, according to a recent review of the evidence. The researchers found that any type of exercise was helpful, although strength training or regimes that mixed strength training with aerobic exercises, such as walking and swimming, were better than aerobic types alone.
If you don’t want to brave the elements, one option is to get your exercise fix at the gym. But researchers increasingly suspect that this misses out on some of the mental health benefits of being in natural environments, like the countryside or seaside – so-called green or blue spaces.
Several studies find that people who have easy access to such environments have lower rates of depression and anxiety – although it is unclear exactly why.
And staying home more might mean people miss out on social interactions, which could also worsen their mental health
Worries over flooding
People whose houses have previously been flooded tend to become anxious when there is heavy rain as the experience was so stressful, said Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist at the University of Reading.
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“They have very serious anxiety because of the sound of the continuous rain,” she said.
The prolonged period of rain has certainly made flooding more likely, with groundwater flood warnings currently in place for parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and West Sussex over the next five days.
“The relentless rain of the past month has left soils saturated, rivers fit to burst and groundwater rising under our feet,” said Dr Jess Neumann, a hydrologist at the University of Reading.
Unfortunately, while the rain is likely to ease this weekend in many parts of the country, it is forecast to return next week. “We might get a small reprieve, but after that we might be back in the same position again,” said Professor Cloke.