Association of Foehn winds with physiological parameters in a cohort of middle-aged adults

Abstract

Background

Foehn winds, warm and dry downslope winds common in alpine regions, have long been suspected to affect human health, but objective evidence remains limited. Wearable devices now allow physiological responses to such conditions to be captured. This study investigates the association between Foehn winds and changes in physiological parameters.

Methods

Healthy adults in Liechtenstein wore a medical sensory wearable device during sleep over an 11-month period. Nightly physiological parameters were related to Foehn exposure in linear mixed-effects models.

Results

714 participants (59.7% women; mean age 44.0 years) were included. Foehn was associated with changes in heart rate (HR) (+ 0.25 bpm; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.33), perfusion index (PI) (+ 0.78%; 95% CI: 0.22, 1.33), and heart rate variability (HRV) (–0.29%; 95% CI: –0.55, –0.04), while respiratory rate, wrist skin temperature, and sleep duration remained unchanged. Restricting exposure to nocturnal Foehn strengthened the associations with HR (+ 0.41 bpm; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.50) and HRV (–0.35%; 95% CI: –0.66, –0.05), whereas both were attenuated after additional adjustment for air temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. Overall, 40.8% of participants reported impaired well-being during Foehn episodes. These individuals showed a 9.92% lower PI irrespective of Foehn and less pronounced Foehn-related changes in HR (+ 0.15 vs. + 0.32 bpm) and HRV (+ 0.04% vs. –0.53%).

Conclusions

Our findings provide evidence that Foehn winds are linked to objectively measurable changes in physiological parameters, which appear attributable to the accompanying meteorological conditions. Individuals reporting impaired well-being during Foehn showed a lower baseline perfusion index but weaker physiological responses.