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.<\/p>\n
It is all down to an unusual weather system that has brought a \u201cconveyor belt\u201d of winter storms<\/a> over the UK, according to the Met Office. <\/p>\n New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n Impact of grey skies on our mood<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, or SAD.<\/p>\n Grey skies when it rains mean that our exposure to daylight is even less \u2013 and so it could worsen symptoms of low mood.<\/p>\n Even if you don\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n \u201cWe think there are mild levels of SAD that don\u2019t come to attention.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Those affected are also advised to get as much natural daylight as possible \u2013 which can be less appealing when it is bucketing down. \u201cIf we\u2019re talking about the effect of rain, it\u2019s partly the effect of low light. And in addition to that, there\u2019s the impact of the actual rain,\u201d said Dr Scott.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s horrible to ride your bike when you\u2019re getting splashed by cars, and you can\u2019t go out and do your outdoor activities. Your sport might be interrupted. If you\u2019re somebody who works outdoors, your work is interrupted. So there\u2019s that extra annoyance factor of rainy days.\u201d<\/p>\n Effect of too much time indoors<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In fact, exercise is as effective as both talking therapy and medication at treating depression, according to a recent review of the evidence<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t 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 \u2013 so-called green or blue spaces.<\/p>\n Several studies find that people who have easy access to such environments have lower rates of depression and anxiety<\/a> \u2013 although it is unclear exactly why.<\/p>\n And staying home more might mean people miss out on social interactions, which could also worsen their mental health<\/p>\n Worries over flooding<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \t\tYour next read<\/p>\n![\"Flooded](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_284364483_358bdd.jpg\")
Soggy fields, such as these, in Somerset, can make it harder to get out of the house (Photo: Ben Birchall\/PA)<\/p>\n
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