Magnetic storms and their impact on human health. How a magnetic storm affects our health How magnetic storms affect the body

The negative impact of magnetic storms is felt by the majority of the world's population, and the onset of a stressful period occurs individually. Troubles with health and well-being can begin a couple of days before the expected storm and continue until it ends.

"Magnetic storms affect the Earth's magnetic field, as well as the well-being of many weather-dependent people."

A magnetic storm begins when a solar flare occurs. The electrons and protons thrown out by the luminary reach the earth with a stream of light and destabilize its magnetic environment. The closer to the north or south pole a person is, the more tangible is the dependence on magnetic storms and the more suffering from this phenomenon.

Impact of magnetic storms on health

It is unlikely that the narration of air and car accidents, the increase in equipment failures and accidents at work will convince anyone that their cause is magnetic storms, yet this is often the case. They most actively affect the elderly, as well as everyone who has the misfortune to be familiar with vascular and heart diseases. Even mild diseases of civilization, such as vegetative-vascular dystonia and hypertension, which already mean practically nothing for a person, can loudly remind of themselves during magnetic storms.

In addition, being on an airplane, subway, or in another place where there is a pressure drop, it is more difficult to transfer a magnetic flash. Mentally unstable people also have a hard time enduring magnetic storms. These cosmic blizzards have only a negative impact on health.

Symptoms of the influence of magnetic storms:

• Aches in the knees, elbows, ankles and other joints.
• Headaches - from a small annoying background to a real migraine.
• Insomnia and sleep disturbances, anxiety.
• Depression, mental disorders. Most often - this is the usual irritability, nervous behavior, rapid mood swings.
• Pressure surges.
• Complete energy decline, unwillingness to work, apathy.
• Also, during magnetic storms, chronic diseases are often exacerbated.

How to deal with the effects of magnetic storms

In order to feel good on the days of magnetic storms (and not only!) You should follow simple recommendations:

• Eliminate the use of alcohol, nicotine, and other harmful substances.
• Do not allow yourself to overwork, rest more.
• Take care of outdoor recreation, spend more time on the street, if possible, temper yourself (this will improve the condition of the vessels).

But sometimes the tension needs to be removed directly at the current moment, and it will take more than one month to wait for the effect of hardening and sports life. Follow these tips to reduce pain and irritability.

1. Do acupressure . From a small bump on the back of the head, run your fingers to the earlobes. Squeeze them and start massaging. The procedure can be repeated. The same applies to the massage of the palm - by pressing on the central convex point, expand the massaging movements in concentric circles, completing the massage on the tips of the little fingers, which should also be pressed.

2. Do not get out of bed abruptly or quickly - and in general avoid jerks and pressure drops . Lie down on a bed or chair, stretch properly. Stretch the oblique muscles of the body in turn by stretching up with your right hand (lying on your left side) and vice versa. Stretch your neck by doing 5-7 smooth bends forward, backward, left and right.

3. Apply simple yoga exercises . Sit in the lotus position. With your left nostril closed, breathe in deeply through your right. Every 10-15 breaths, try to hold your breath for 20-30 seconds. Then repeat on the second nostril. Focusing on breathing will enrich the brain with oxygen, help relieve spasm.

Magnetic storms do not affect healthy people, so the most The best way to avoid their consequences is to harden, play sports and eat rationally.

Duration from several hours to several days, caused by the arrival of disturbed high-speed solar wind streams and the associated shock wave in the vicinity of the Earth. Geomagnetic storms occur mainly in the middle and low latitudes of the Earth.

As a result of solar flares, a huge amount of matter (mainly protons and electrons) is ejected into outer space, some of which, moving at a speed of 400-1000 km / s, reaches earth's atmosphere. The Earth's magnetic field captures charged particles from outer space. Too much particle flow perturbs the planet's magnetic field, causing the characteristics of the magnetic field to change rapidly and strongly.

Thus, a geomagnetic storm is a rapid and strong change in the Earth's magnetic field that occurs during periods of increased solar activity.

The peak of solar activity during the previous solar cycle occurred in 2001-2002, when solar winds came from the surface of our star almost constantly, and sunspots reached their maximum. At the same time, experts also noted the extremely unfavorable consequences of activity for our planet - electronic equipment malfunctioned, satellites in orbit worked with errors.

The most powerful flare in the history of observational astronomy occurred on November 4, 2003. Its energy, as shown by calculations, could be enough to supply electricity to a city like Moscow for 200 million years.

The impact of magnetic storms on human life and health

Geomagnetic storms have an impact on many areas of human activity, from which communication and navigation system disruptions can be distinguished. spaceships, the occurrence of surface charges on transformers and pipelines, and even the destruction of energy systems.

Magnetic storms also affect the health and well-being of people. They are dangerous primarily for those who suffer from arterial hypertension and hypotension, heart disease. Approximately 70% of heart attacks, hypertensive crises and strokes occur during solar storms.

Magnetic storms are often accompanied by headaches, migraines, heart palpitations, insomnia, poor health, decreased vitality, and pressure drops. Scientists attribute this to the fact that when the magnetic field fluctuates, capillary blood flow slows down and oxygen starvation of tissues occurs.

In the 1930s in Nice (France), it was accidentally noticed that the frequency of myocardial infarctions and strokes in the elderly increased dramatically on days when there were severe disruptions in the work of the local telephone exchange, up to a complete cessation of communication. Subsequently, it was found that telephone communication disruptions occur during magnetic storms. On this basis, it was concluded that heart attacks and strokes, as well as the disruptions of the telephone network themselves, are associated with magnetic storms.

At one time, sharp disputes were caused by the question of the influence of solar activity on the occurrence of accidents and injuries in transport and in production. This was first pointed out back in 1928 by Alexander Chizhevsky, and in the 1950s, German scientists Reinhold Reiter and Karl Werner, from an analysis of about 100,000 car accidents, established their sharp increase on the second day after a solar flare. Later, a Russian forensic physician from Tomsk, Vladimir Desyatoe, discovered a sharp increase in the number of suicides (by 4-5 times compared to the days of the quiet Sun) also on the second day after the solar flare. And this just corresponds to the beginning of magnetic storms.

According to various sources, from 50 to 75% of the Earth's population are subject to the negative effects of magnetic storms. At the same time, the moment of the beginning of the stress reaction can shift relative to the beginning of the storm for different periods for different storms and for a particular person. Many people begin to react not to magnetic storms themselves, but 1-2 days before them, i.e. at the moment of flares on the Sun itself.

It has also been observed that up to 50% of the planet's population is capable of adaptation, i.e. to the reduction to zero of the reaction to several successive magnetic storms with an interval of 6-7 days, and that young people practically do not feel the effects of magnetic storms.

The theory of the influence of magnetic storms on humans has opponents who are of the opinion that gravitational perturbations associated with a change in the relative position of the Earth, Moon and planets solar system, are immeasurably small in comparison with those to which people are exposed in ordinary life (shaking, acceleration and deceleration in public transport, sharp descent and ascent, etc.).

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

24.10.2017 25.10.2017 by Astronaut

Recently, we have been hearing more and more often about magnetic storms, geomagnetic conditions, favorable and unfavorable days in terms of geomagnetic activity. Do we know the true nature of the origin of magnetic storms? Most likely no. Can we imagine how strong or weak magnetic storms affect us? I doubt that you know the answers to these questions. Let's look into this and find out what magnetic storms actually are and how they affect a person.

Nature of geomagnetic storms

The Earth has a magnetic field that protects it from radiation from the Sun and deep space. This magnetic field is called a magnetic shield. The shield ensures the existence of the biosphere and life on Earth. Those planets where there is no magnetic field are considered dead compared to the Earth, despite the fact that signs of life may be present there. From time to time, active phenomena occur on the Sun: mass ejections, flares, shock waves. These phenomena lead to the emergence of energy particles that scatter from the Sun in all directions, including in the direction of the Earth, and enter the magnetosphere. When the shock wave that occurs before the mass ejection collides with the magnetosphere, the Earth's magnetic field begins to revolt, oscillate, tremble. This process is called a magnetic storm.

According to modern concepts based on interplanetary space studies using various instruments, magnetic storms occur as a result of the interaction of high-speed flows of magnetized solar plasma (protons and electrons) with the Earth's magnetosphere. Since the temperature of the upper layers of the Sun's atmosphere (the corona) is about a million degrees, the hydrogen and helium atoms (its main components) acquire such enormous speeds that during collisions they knock out electrons from each other and turn out to be literally “naked”. Thanks to this so-called "collisional ionization", only "naked" nuclei of atoms remain in the corona of the Sun - protons and electrons knocked out of atoms. This mixture of particles is plasma. As a result of numerous collisions, some particles develop such high speeds that they manage to overcome the attraction of the Sun and escape forever into the surrounding outer space. There is a kind of “evaporation” of protons and electrons. These plasma streams, which originate in the corona of the Sun and move under normal conditions at a speed of about 300 km / s, are called the "solar wind". The solar wind was relatively recently discovered by spacecraft even at the very borders of the solar system.

When the solar wind plasma encounters the Earth's magnetic field on its way (as you know, it resembles the field of a flat magnet), it, obeying the laws of physics, first compresses the magnetic field lines, and then begins to flow around the Earth, like a water flow around a solid obstacle. On the side of the Earth facing the Sun, the flow boundary is set at a distance of 10–12 Earth radii (approximately 70,000 km). On the night side, the magnetic field stretches out in the form of a plume, similar to the tail of a comet, to distances of about 1000 Earth radii (about 6 million km). This entire region, which contains the magnetic field and near-Earth plasma, is called the Earth's magnetosphere.

As long as the regular solar wind "blows" at a speed of about 300 km/s, no disturbances occur in the Earth's magnetosphere, this is the so-called geomagnetic "calm". But here in the sun appeared large group spots, which is a highly magnetized substance that has emerged from the bowels of the Sun (the magnetic field of spots is thousands of times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field). When spots with different magnetic polarity randomly approach each other, something similar to a giant “short circuit” occurs with the release of a truly cosmic amount of energy. It is comparable to the eruption of 10 million volcanoes or the explosion of several dozen hydrogen bombs. Astronomers call this phenomenon a solar flare.

At this time, there is also an emission of high-speed streams of charged particles - electrons and protons. When this perturbed solar wind, carrying a magnetic field with it, meets the Earth's magnetosphere in its path, random and sometimes very strong changes in the strength of the Earth's magnetic field begin to occur at the point of contact, which is the essence of a magnetic storm.

Since the speed of such a disturbed solar wind from flares ranges from 500 to 1000 km / s, a magnetic storm usually begins a day or two after a solar flare. That is how long it takes the plasma to travel 150 million km from the Sun to the Earth.

Magnetic storms are planetary in nature and have a global impact on the Earth and near-Earth space. During a magnetic storm, the entire magnetic field of the Earth is disturbed. These perturbations lead to different phenomena. All layers of the earth's atmosphere, the ionosphere, plasmasphere, magnetosphere undergo changes. There are flows of energetic particles and currents.

The most powerful geomagnetic storms in history

The impact of magnetic storms on technical objects, sometimes catastrophic, is caused by an induction electric field that occurs during a fast

change in the strength of the magnetic field on Earth. For the first time, tangible effects of this kind were noted during a strong magnetic storm on September 1, 1859, which is deservedly associated with the name of the English astronomer Carrington, who studied sunspots. He projected pictures of spots from a telescope onto a screen and sketched them. Once, in a group of spots, Carrington saw two bright white spots, which after a few minutes began to fade and went out (Fig. 1). White spots were seen before, but somehow they did not pay attention to them. And this time, a day after Carrington observed the chromospheric flare, a magnetic storm broke out, which, according to experts, was the most powerful in the century and a half that had passed since that time.

In those days, there were not so many electrical appliances on Earth, but the destruction was noticeable: powerful currents telegraph lines were put out of action, a transformer at a power plant burned out ... Since then, the number of technical accidents, correlating with cosmophysical indicators, has increased significantly.

A magnetic storm on March 24, 1940 caused power outages in New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Quebec, and Ontario. An overload of 2600 volts has been registered on the Atlantic cable between Scotland and Newfoundland.

On March 13, 1989, a powerful storm allowed millions of people to admire the aurora, not only in Alaska or Scandinavia, but also on the coast mediterranean sea and in Japan. But the same "storm of the year" destroyed the transformer at the nuclear power plant in Salem (New Jersey, USA). It also blocked the operation of the high-voltage network in Quebec and left 6 million people without electricity for 9 hours. After the accident in Salem, it became clear that even a small increase in the strength of the direct current could destroy the transformer, designed to convert alternating current. This additive introduces it into the mode of operation with excessive magnetic saturation of the core, which leads to overheating of the windings and, in the end, to an accident of the entire system.

The geomagnetic storm reached its maximum intensity on March 13, when the planetary Ap index reached a value of 246, the third for the entire observation period since 1932: 272, and the Dst-index of geomagnetic activity (English Disturbance Storm Time Index) between 1:00 and 2:00 AM UTC on March 14 reached a value of -589 nT (or even -640 nT according to other sources), a record since 1957.

In the USSR, during this geomagnetic storm, radio communication with points at high latitudes was disrupted, and the aurora was observed even in Simferopol

The impact is caused by an electromotive force induced by short-period variations of the geomagnetic field. The induced potential difference is small and amounts to about a few volts per kilometer (the maximum value was recorded in 1940 in Norway and was about 50 V / km), but in long conductors with low resistance - communication and power lines, pipelines, rails railways - full strength induced currents can reach tens and hundreds of amperes. Electric lines stretched from east to west in the polar regions experience the greatest impact. The American Energy Reliability Council classified the magnetic storms of March 1989 and October 1991 in the same class of economic damage as Hurricane Hugo and the San Francisco earthquake.

The significance of magnetic storms increases over the years, because the Earth's technosphere is growing. Previously, mankind observed only the auroras, the most powerful of which was recorded in 1859. The English astronomer Richard Carrington observed the most powerful flare in the entire history of observations on the Sun, with which auroras were associated almost throughout the entire territory of the Earth, including at the equator. In 1859, the Earth did not have such a vast technosphere, satellites, power lines, so these phenomena were not felt so clearly. But in 1989, when mankind had already launched satellites, developed extensive power lines and pipelines, the magnetic storm became very significant and greatly affected the power system of Quebec.

The Earth's technosphere is expanding. Almost all modern technologies- GPS, GLONASS and others are satellites, and satellites are strongly affected by solar activity. Electronics can fail due to the impact of energetic particles. And the more we introduce satellite technologies and the longer we make power lines, the more magnetic storms are felt for the Earth. The induction effect of a storm depends on the size of these systems.

This suggests that in the development, creation of satellite systems and the expansion of the technosphere, it is necessary to take into account factors that were not taken into account before. On the other hand, it is necessary to observe the activity of the Sun and the associated geomagnetic disturbance on the Earth.

Another aspect of the influence of magnetic storms is related to the fact that during a magnetic storm the environment changes, the atmosphere heats up, and this can lead to a change in pressure in the Earth's atmosphere. These changes, according to doctors, can affect the health of people who have weakened adaptation. Statistics show that during magnetic storms, the number of ambulance calls due to deterioration in health in people with cardiovascular diseases increases by about 20%. At the same time, the perturbations of the magnetic field that occur on Earth are insignificant relative to the field itself. Most often they make up about 1/300–1/1000 of the field itself. But the effect is planetary. In the human brain there are resonances that coincide with the resonances of the ionosphere - about 10 Hz. There are also resonances in the human heart that coincide with the resonances of the magnetosphere - approximately 1 Hz. If the resonant regions of the ionosphere and magnetosphere are excited and the density of electromagnetic radiation increases in them, then this can affect the health of sick people. These relationships are now being actively studied by physicians and biophysicists.

On present stage astronomers are studying the possibility of predicting space weather and the totality of phenomena that occur in the Sun-Earth system. To predict the weather, it is necessary to have information about the Sun, its active regions, their magnetic configuration, and the possibility of flares and emissions. If the ejection has already occurred, then it flies to the Earth from two to three days, depending on the speed. During this time, you can understand what kind of emission it is, in which part of the Sun it occurred, and predict its effect. As a rule, the right part of the Sun is the most geoeffective.

The Earth's magnetic axis is tilted with respect to the axis of rotation. In many ways, the effect of magnetic storms depends on the power and speed of the mass ejection, as well as on the orientation of this axis with respect to the direction of the ejection at the moment of the collision of the Earth with the plasma cloud. The magnetic axis is inclined to the axis of rotation by about 11 degrees. It can be turned towards the Sun or in the opposite direction from the Sun when the plasma cloud collides with the Earth's magnetosphere. Space phenomena are not the same, mass ejections from the Sun occur randomly, they have different amplitudes and speeds. Therefore, space weather events rarely coincide and are difficult to predict with high probability. Nevertheless, some predictions are quite feasible. They are now actively used in spacecraft launches and space flight control.

How magnetic storms affect human health.

Scientists have been dealing with magnetic storms for quite some time now. In particular, the influence of magnetic storms on the human body, and especially on patients with cardiovascular diseases, was revealed by French physicians in 1915-1919. They found that during such storms, patients are seized by prolonged bouts of pain lasting 2-3 days.

The great Russian scientist A.L. Chizhevsky. In 1931 he wrote the book The Earth Embraced by the Sun. It was the first to trace the influence of solar activity - "space weather" - on biological and social phenomena: changes in the number of animals, the emergence of epidemics, and even the beginning of wars and revolutions.

During a lifetime, a person experiences the influence of 2000-2500 magnetic storms - each with its own duration (1-4 days) and intensity. There is no clear schedule for magnetic storms - they can "cover" day or night, depending on summer heat and in winter, and their influence affects absolutely everyone and everything. More than 50 percent of the world's inhabitants feel the consequences of magnetic storms.

Magnetic storms are often accompanied by headaches, migraines, heart palpitations, insomnia, poor health, decreased vitality, and a sharp change in pressure. What is going on? During magnetic storms, a person's blood thickens (in a healthy person, this is less pronounced). Due to such thickening of the blood, oxygen metabolism worsens, and the brain and nerve endings are the first to react to a lack of oxygen. There is no one who would be free from the effects of the geomagnetic field. Men are more susceptible to magnetic storms than women. On magnetically active days, the number of heart attacks increases by more than three, strokes by two, angina attacks by one and a half times. Of all the diseases that are affected by magnetospheric storms, cardiovascular diseases were singled out, first of all, since their relationship with solar and magnetic activity was the most obvious. Heart rhythm studies have shown that weak disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field did not cause an increase in the number of heart rhythm disturbances. But on days with moderate and strong geomagnetic storms, heart rhythm disturbances occur more often than in the absence of magnetic storms. This applies both to observations at rest and during physical exertion.

Observations of hypertensive patients showed that some of the patients reacted a day before the onset of a magnetic storm. Others felt worse at the beginning, middle, or end of a geomagnetic storm. Only on the second day after the storm arterial pressure patients stabilized. Studies have shown that the most detrimental effect on patients is a storm in its initial period. An analysis of numerous medical data has also deduced the seasonal course of deterioration in health during magnetic storms; it is characterized by the greatest deterioration at the spring equinox (March 23), when the number and severity of vascular accidents (in particular, myocardial infarctions) increase.

When monitoring ambulance calls, it was concluded that on magnetically active days there are more (much) ambulance calls than on magnetically quiet days.

How exactly do magnetic storms affect the human body?

• In accordance with solar activity there are changes in the number of leukocytes: their concentration decreases with high solar activity and increases with low.
• High magnetic activity "lengthens" the menstrual cycle, and the intensity of changes in the disturbance of the geomagnetic field directly affects the beginning and end of childbirth. Established fact - premature birth often provoked by magnetic storms.
• The entire body is exposed to magnetic storms. And the more chronic diseases, the stronger the effect of storms.
• The risk of blood clots increases.
• The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation in the blood changes, blood clotting slows down.
• The "delivery" of oxygen to tissues and organs is disrupted, the blood thickens.
• Migraines, headaches, joint pains, dizziness appear.
• The heartbeat becomes more frequent and the general vitality decreases.
• Insomnia, pressure jumps are noted.
• There is a progression of chronic diseases, especially those related to nervous system.
• The number of myocardial infarctions and strokes is increasing.
• The concentration of fibrinogen and the release of stress hormones increase.

Research in different countries on a large amount of factual material, it was shown that the number of accidents and injuries in transport increases during solar and magnetic storms, which is explained by changes in the activity of the central nervous system. At the same time, lethargy, slowness appear, quick wits worsen, and the likelihood of making wrong decisions increases.

Observations were made of the effect of magnetic storms on patients suffering from mental illness in particular, manic-depressive syndrome. It was found that during a high magnetic storm, manic phases prevailed in them, and during a low magnetic storm, depressive phases prevailed.

More often than others, those inhabitants of the planet who live closer to the poles suffer from magnetic "disturbances". That is, the closer to the equator, the lower the influence of magnetic storms. For example, if in St. Petersburg 90 percent of the population suffers from the consequences of magnetic storms, then near the Black Sea - no more than 50 percent.

A magnetic storm always hits the most vulnerable points of the body, reflecting depression on one, exacerbation of chronic ailments on the other, migraine on the third, etc. It is hardest of all for cores and people suffering from VVD and overweight.

Reasons for the impact of magnetic storms on humans

We react to a storm as a warning signal of possible danger. The body falls into stress, mobilizes all the forces to fight. So weather dependence is one of the ways to fight for survival. You can quite easily determine how dependent on the weather you are, that is, weather sensitive. If your well-being worsens during climate change, your efficiency decreases, depression appears and the same signs of deterioration in well-being repeat, then you are meteosensitive.

It is known that the magnetic field acts on moving electric charges, electric currents, permanent magnets. In biological systems, including the human body, there are ordered movements electric charges(electrons and ions). In addition to currents and charges in a living organism, there are small magnets - molecules of various substances, primarily water. We know that magnets interact. That is why the changing magnetic field causes the reorientation of these small magnets in the body. Deviating from the usual direction, they cease to perform their functions normally, from which the whole organism begins to suffer. In the human body, additional biocurrents arise, which further disrupts normal life. The human body is electromagnetic biocurrents.

How to protect yourself from a magnetic storm - measures to prevent the harmful effects of magnetic storms on humans

Of course, there is nowhere to hide from a magnetic storm. But it will not be superfluous to know that the most severe impact of the storm will be:

• At altitude - in an airplane (air blanket - Earth - does not protect at altitude).
• In the northern regions of our country and in the northern countries (Finland, Sweden, etc.).
• In the underground. Low frequency magnetic fields, formed in the underground, in combination with the disturbance of the electromagnetic field of our planet, form a source of powerful negative impact on the human body.

How to protect your health from the influence of a magnetic storm?

Before the storm (during this period the body experiences the most serious “overload”) and during the storm, follow the recommendations of experts:

• Eliminate alcohol, nicotine and high physical activity.
• Have on hand medicines"emergency response" in case of exacerbation of chronic diseases (especially heart disease).
• Do not rise abruptly from bed in the morning (especially for hypotensive patients).
• Take aspirin to avoid blood clots (do not forget to consult a doctor - for example, aspirin is contraindicated in case of peptic ulcer and gastritis).
• With insomnia, nervousness, increased anxiety - an infusion of eucalyptus, valerian, lemon balm, motherwort and aloe juice (this plant will not interfere with all weather dependent).
• The diet for the period of the storm is fish, vegetables and cereals. Food intake is moderate.
• Ensure full, sound sleep.
• Increase intake of natural antioxidants (replace coffee with green tea).
• Drink more fluids to reduce blood viscosity.
• Take herbal/oil baths and contrast showers.

P.S. Specialists representing the Laboratory of X-ray Solar Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences stated that today, October 24, significant geomagnetic unrest awaits our planet. With a probability of about 65 percent, the disturbance will be so strong that it can be qualified as a magnetic storm. It is expected to last until 27th October.

According to scientists, at present, sources of two dense solar wind streams are observed on opposite sides of our star. The Sun makes a complete revolution around its axis relative to the Earth in 27 days, taking into account both the rotation of the star around its axis and the movement of the planet in its orbit. Thus, the Earth is in one of the two energy streams twice during this period, that is, every two weeks. In the past, this has already caused almost five days of magnetic disturbances, which lasted from October 11 to 15. A similar event will take place in the coming days, and then on November 6-7, and so on. Experts believe that with the current configuration of the solar wind, the Earth will have to live "in the rhythm of magnetic storms." So far, scientists cannot say with certainty when exactly the situation may change. According to one of the assumptions, this can happen only after a few months.

Although this may seem paradoxical at first glance, such “regular” magnetic storms are typical for a period when solar activity is close to a minimum (now our star is observed precisely at this stage of the 11-year cycle of activity changes). According to experts, the fact is that new magnetic regions and spots on the star almost do not appear, and, as a result, the configuration of solar wind flows becomes very stable.

One way or another, scientists urge not to be too afraid of the next magnetic storm - in all likelihood, its power will not exceed 2 on a five-point scale, which makes it possible to classify it as moderate, or medium. As a rule, for the inhabitants of the Earth, magnetic storms of such strength proceed almost imperceptibly. At the same time, on November 6-7, geomagnetic disturbances may turn out to be more significant, the researchers note. (according to MK)

Often we meet in life with inexplicable states, when, it seems, nothing really hurts, but the body feels like citrus, scrolled through a meat grinder. We explain these states in different ways, without even thinking that they are connected with the influence of the Sun on our planet. Or rather, with magnetic storms, the consequences of which for weather-dependent people (and not only) are very serious.

How exactly do magnetic storms affect our health, and is there a way to protect ourselves from their effects?

Magnetic storms - impact on humans: how do magnetic storms affect health and well-being?

Throughout life, a person is influenced by 2000-2500 magnetic storms - each with its own duration (1-4 days) and intensity. Magnetic storms do not have a clear schedule - they can “cover” day or night, in the heat of summer and winter, and their influence affects absolutely everyone and everything.

More than 50 percent of the world's inhabitants feel the effects of magnetic storms.

How exactly do magnetic storms affect the human body?

• According to solar activity changes in the number of leukocytes : their concentration decreases with high solar activity and increases with low solar activity.
• High magnetic activity "lengthens" the menstrual cycle , and the intensity of changes in the disturbance of the geomagnetic field directly affects the beginning and end of childbirth. It is an established fact that preterm births are often provoked by magnetic storms.
• The entire body is exposed to magnetic storms . And the more chronic diseases, the stronger the effect of storms.
• The risk of blood clots increases.
• Changes in the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation in the blood slows down blood clotting.
• The “delivery” of oxygen to tissues and organs is disrupted , the blood thickens.
• Appear, headaches, joint pain, dizziness.
• Heartbeat quickens and overall vitality is reduced.
• Insomnia, pressure jumps are noted.
• Chronic disease progresses especially concerning the nervous system.
• The number of myocardial infarctions and strokes is increasing.
• An increase in fibrinogen levels and release of stress hormones.

More often than others, those inhabitants of the planet who live closer to the poles suffer from magnetic "disturbances". That is, the closer to the equator, the lower the influence of magnetic storms. For example, if in St. Petersburg the consequences of magnetic storms are 90 percent of the population , then by the Black Sea - no more than 50 percent .

A magnetic storm always hits the most vulnerable points of the body, reflecting depression on one, exacerbation of chronic ailments on the other, migraine on the third, etc. cores and people suffering from VVD and overweight .

How to protect yourself from a magnetic storm - measures to prevent the harmful effects of magnetic storms on humans

Of course, there is nowhere to hide from a magnetic storm. But it will not be superfluous to know that the most severe impact of the storm will be:

• On high- in an airplane (an air blanket - the Earth - does not protect at a height).
• In the northern regions of our country and in the northern countries(Finland, Sweden, etc.).
• In the underground. Low-frequency magnetic fields generated in the underground, combined with the disturbance of the electromagnetic field of our planet, form a source of powerful negative impact on the human body.

How to protect your health from the influence of a magnetic storm?

Before the storm (during this period the body experiences the most serious "overload") and during the storm follow the recommendations of experts:

• Eliminate alcohol, nicotine and high physical activity.
• Have medicines on hand "emergency response" in case of exacerbation of chronic diseases (especially heart disease).
• Don't get out of bed abruptly in the morning (especially for hypotensive patients).
• Take an aspirin in order to avoid the formation of blood clots (do not forget to consult a doctor - for example, with peptic ulcer and gastritis, aspirin is contraindicated).
• With insomnia, nervousness, increased anxiety - infusion of eucalyptus, valerian, lemon balm, motherwort and aloe juice (this plant will not interfere with all weather dependent).
• Ration for the period of the storm - fish, vegetables and cereals . Food intake is moderate.
• Provide full, sound sleep.
• Increase intake of natural antioxidants (replace coffee with green tea).
• Drink more liquid to reduce blood viscosity.
• Take herbal/oil baths and contrast showers .