Weather conditions: a neglected factor in human salivary cortisol research?

Abstract

There is ample evidence that environmental stressors such as extreme weather conditions affect animal behavior and that this process is in part mediated through the elevated activity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis which results in an increase in cortisol secretion. This relationship has not been extensively researched in humans, and weather conditions have not been analyzed as a potential confounder in human studies of stress. Consequently, the goal of this paper was to assess the relationship between salivary cortisol and weather conditions in the course of everyday life and to test a possible moderating effect of two weather-related variables, the climate region and timing of exposure to outdoors conditions. The sample consisted of 903 secondary school students aged 18 to 21 years from Mediterranean and Continental regions. Cortisol from saliva was sampled in naturalistic settings at three time points over the course of a single day. We found that weather conditions are related to salivary cortisol concentration and that this relationship may be moderated by both the specific climate and the anticipation of immediate exposure to outdoors conditions. Unpleasant weather conditions are predictive for the level of salivary cortisol, but only among individuals who anticipate being exposed to it in the immediate future (e.g., in students attending school in the morning shift). We also demonstrated that isolated weather conditions or their patterns may be relevant in one climate area (e.g., Continental) while less relevant in the other (e.g., Mediterranean). Results of this study draw attention to the importance of controlling weather conditions in human salivary cortisol research.

Bobcat Hair Cortisol Correlates with Land Use and Climate

“…Factors that influence HCC at the WMU scale were dominated by climate variables, which have been reported to influence mammalian cortisol levels (Milas et al 2018). Precipitation during the fall molting period corresponded with lower HCC and was the leading predictor for female and male bobcats (Fig.…”

Trumpa Meteorologinių Veiksnių Poveikio Psichologinei Būklei Po Širdies Operacijų Apžvalga

“…Pacientams po koronarinių arterijų šuntavimo operacijos gali būti būdingas kortizolio lygio padidėjimas, siejamas su prastesniu pooperaciniu atsigavimu ir ilgesniu buvimu ligoninėje bei nerimo padidėjimu [28]. Taigi, meteorologiniai veiksniai, tokie kaip temperatūros pokyčiai, gali lemti stresą, susijusį su kortizolio padidėjimu [29].…”

Rain, Rain Go Away! A Diary Study on Morning Weather and Affective Well‐Being at Work

“…All of these findings might be due to weather's influence on neurobiological systems: Sunlight predicts daily serotonin levels (Lambert, Reid, Kaye, Jennings, & Esler, 2002) and cloud cover relates to higher melatonin levels (Cummings, 2002), with serotonin and melatonin both being related to positive affective energy. Further, bad weather relates to salivary cortisol levels (Milas, Šupe‐Domić, Drmić‐Hofman, Rumora, & Martinović Klarić, 2018), which indicate employee psychological ill‐being (Ganster & Rosen, 2013).…”