Do Rainy Days Make You Feel Sleepy?

A study by the University of Rochester Sleep Laboratory in New York showed that on rainy nights you don't get as good a night's sleep. Meaning cloudy, rainy nights are not as restful. And when you can't sleep as soundly or as long, you wake up exhausted and rundown. Then throughout the day you're just plain exhausted.

Melatonin is a hormone the body produces that in humans helps regulate the wake-sleep cycle. The more melatonin your body is producing means you will be more tired. But melatonin is also reliant on light, which is why we sleep at night. When the sun comes up in the morning it suppresses the melatonin production and wakes us up. But when it's cloudy and rainy your melatonin production remains higher, in turn making you sleepier.

Just as the cloudy skies cause your body to overproduce melatonin, so do they cause your brain to underproduce seratonin. Seratonin is a neurotransmitter that is linked to happiness. The food you eat has a lot to do with seratonin production, but sunlight is in play here too. And when we have less sun, we make less seratonin which leads to feelings of depression and lack of motivation. Hence those lazy, rainy days.

The sound of rain drops on the pavement, windows and roofs forms a pattern as they fall. That pattern can be rhythmic and once the rhythm gets in your head its like an internal lullaby soothing you all day long. And while the soothing rain sounds might be nice on a nature sounds playlist, during the day it can leave you ready for bed when you need to be up and at 'em.