{
  "id": 7939433,
  "title": "Kühlere Jahreszeit: Kürzere Tage, kältere Luft: Wie der Herbst im Körper wirkt",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/kuhlere-jahreszeit-kurzere-tage-kaltere-luft-wie-der-herbst-im-korper",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-17T03:00:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/forschung-innovation/kuehlere-jahreszeit-kuerzere-tage-kaeltere-luft-wie-der-herbst-im-koerper-wirkt/100255205.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "As the calendar turns to autumn, days grow shorter and temperatures drop. These changes impact our daily lives. Here are five common autumn complaints and the underlying science behind them:\n\n1. Early darkness may cause fatigue: The reduced daylight hours disrupt the body's internal clock, which regulates sleep and wake cycles. Higher levels of melatonin, a hormone involved in sleep regulation, are produced at night, making it harder to fall asleep, especially with increased exposure to bright artificial light in the evening.\n\n2. Winter weight gain: On average, people gain about 0.37 kilograms during the winter months in the United States. This weight gain is likely due to a combination of factors, including reduced physical activity, higher calorie intake, frequent social gatherings, and spending more time indoors. However, this weight gain is not an inevitable biological process and can be influenced by lifestyle choices.\n\n3. Slight improvement in winter blues: For those suffering from winter depression, symptoms often worsen from September to January before improving in February. Factors such as reduced sleep, altered appetite, and decreased energy levels contribute to this syndrome. However, the study only included individuals diagnosed with winter depression, so it cannot be generalized to the general population experiencing autumnal mood changes.\n\n4. Vitamin D deficiency in winter: The body produces vitamin D through exposure to UV-B rays from sunlight. In Germany, vitamin D synthesis is limited due to lower sunlight intensity and shorter daylight hours during the winter months. While this can lead to a deficiency, not everyone will develop a deficiency. The German Society for Nutrition recommends vitamin D supplements primarily for individuals who spend little time outdoors or have a higher risk of deficiency. This includes older adults, infants, and those with darker skin pigmentation. For healthy adults under 75 years old, regular supplementation is not generally recommended without medical guidance.\n\n5. Dry indoor air and respiratory infections: Heating indoor air reduces relative humidity, which can irritate the mucous membranes and impair the natural defense mechanisms of the respiratory tract. This may increase the risk of respiratory infections. Studies in mice suggest that dry heating air may also weaken the immune response to influenza viruses and enhance the persistence of airborne viruses under certain conditions. However, these findings from animal studies and artificial aerosols cannot be directly applied to human health.",
  "summary": "Mit Herbstbeginn ändern sich Licht, Temperatur - und damit der Alltag. Was macht uns müde, lässt uns zunehmen oder belastet die Atemwege? Fünf Behauptungen über den Herbst – wissenschaftlich geprüft.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}