Effects of static electricity on nervous system

[brainstorm]

Maybe this should be posted in biology but it seems more like an electricity question to me:

I've read that static electricity increases in the cold because of lower relative humidity. This seems to mean that it is more difficult for things to dissipate/ground their electric charge to the air because less water is available to conduct the electricity away (right/wrong so far?).

What I'm wondering is how this could effect the nervous system. I have spoken with several people who have had trouble sleeping as a cold front approaches and I'm wondering if it has to do with a change in their nervous-system's adjustment to less grounding via the (humid) air. Granted this is speculative, but that is why I'm posting it to get more knowledgeable feedback.

So is it possible that the nervous system becomes over-charged due to relative humidity decreasing? Is this a question for biology/medicine forums?

 

[Drakkith]

I'm pretty sure the sleep problems people have is more likely caused by changes in pressure or other effects rather than the buildup of static electricity. The temperature change itself could explain it. I know I find it nearly impossible to sleep when its warm.

While it may be easier to build up a charge in cold dry air, after grounding yourself you would be fine.

 

[DrinkGreenTea]

What would have to happen to the biology first: Obviously nerves communicate with electrical impulses. If the nervous system's function is to be significantly altered by static electricity in a way which disrupts sleep, the parasympathetic distribution which is responsible for 'rest and digest' would have to be somewhat blocked or altered. The sympathetic distribution of nerves which is responsible for 'fight or flight 'responses would have to be stimulated, perhaps stimulating the adrenals. Brain being nervous tissue produces different waves correlating to different cycles of sleep such as REM which is needed for proper health, if this also can be affected so that it can't produce those waves as it normally would, sleep would also change.
What would have to happen physics wise: Not my area of expertise, but I can't imagine static electricity from the cold producing a significant force to alter the human body in such aspecific manner.

 

[brainstorm]

I wasn't thinking so much in terms of static electricity build-up in the way that causes a spark when you touch a doorknob but rather more in terms of your nerves adjusting to a certain level of grounding in relatively humid, warm air and then the amount of resistance to ground increasing and the nervous system having to re-adjust. Basically, it seems like the nervous-system is an electronic device with its own generator but without anything to ground except the air or conductive materials it comes in contact with. Is this wrong for some reason?

 

[Danger]

I'm no expert in this by any means, but I do have a bit of experience. The mention of humidity seems backwards to me. When I lived in southern Ontario (across the river from Detroit), the relative humidity was typically over 95% in summer and still well over 50% in winter. I couldn't make a move without getting a shock off of something. (I was very glad that toilet paper is non-conductive.) Now that I've been back in Alberta for over 30 years, with dry air, the only shocks that I have received were from sliding out of a car with furry seat covers.
Also, neurons are not electrical in the same fashion as something like a lamp or a TV. They are electrochemical, in that ionic bonds run down the fibre something like a fuse or a zipper. (That's a poor explanation, but I'm not a doctor.) External electrical stimuli will interfere with that, but not in the same way that shuffling your feet on the carpet and touching your CPU will. I can't speak for anyone else, but in my case it was always the heat from a spark that triggered the burn/pain sensation, rather than the electricity itself. I do know that you specified a general electrical field as opposed to a spark, but felt that this might be worth mentioning.

 

[nonequilibrium]

Have you ever laid your hand on a Van Der Graaf Generator? (those things that make the ends of your hair stand up) If your theory is correct, those kind of experiments would be deadly, wouldn't they?

 

[brainstorm]

I'm no expert in this by any means, but I do have a bit of experience. The mention of humidity seems backwards to me. When I lived in southern Ontario (across the river from Detroit), the relative humidity was typically over 95% in summer and still well over 50% in winter. I couldn't make a move without getting a shock off of something. (I was very glad that toilet paper is non-conductive.) Now that I've been back in Alberta for over 30 years, with dry air, the only shocks that I have received were from sliding out of a car with furry seat covers.
Also, neurons are not electrical in the same fashion as something like a lamp or a TV. They are electrochemical, in that ionic bonds run down the fibre something like a fuse or a zipper. (That's a poor explanation, but I'm not a doctor.) External electrical stimuli will interfere with that, but not in the same way that shuffling your feet on the carpet and touching your CPU will. I can't speak for anyone else, but in my case it was always the heat from a spark that triggered the burn/pain sensation, rather than the electricity itself. I do know that you specified a general electrical field as opposed to a spark, but felt that this might be worth mentioning.

Well, how can you argue with empirical evidence? Your experience contradicts the web explanation I got of static electricity, which is that it get worse when it's cold because of the lower relative humidity. I don't know if I read it or just assumed that this would be related to the conductivity of water (vapor) in the air. If you got more shocks in more humid air, I guess it's back to the drawing board for wiki answers or wherever I got that explanation.

As for the neurons being like zippers of electrochemical bonds, would their functioning not be affected by atmospheric conditions such as pressure or electrical issues? I guess I'm getting into biological aspects of the nervous system now, but I've always felt like they behave somewhat like chains of conductive links. Recently, for example, someone explained to me that they develop by forming increasing shielding, which allows them to carry stronger impulses independent of one another. I assumed this meant that the strength of a nerve-impulse was related to its strength as an electronic signal, but was this too quick a leap?

 

[Danger]

Have you ever laid your hand on a Van Der Graaf Generator? (those things that make the ends of your hair stand up) If your theory is correct, those kind of experiments would be deadly, wouldn't they?

The coolest thing that I ever experienced with one of those was grasping the generator with one hand, and holding a stick in the other. I didn't feel anything, but the stick caught on fire. Ubercool.

 

[brainstorm]

Have you ever laid your hand on a Van Der Graaf Generator? (those things that make the ends of your hair stand up) If your theory is correct, those kind of experiments would be deadly, wouldn't they?

In an extremely intuitive sense, yes. But I'd like to establish some explicit, rational reasoning to go along with that.

 

[Danger]

You ask some very good questions in post #7, which I am unfortunately not qualified to answer. Moonbear is the the senior biology expert, but I don't think that she checks out this part of the site. I'll fire off a PM to her to see if she is interested in becoming involved with this thread.

 

[mike08_esp]

I'm no expert in this by any means, but I do have a bit of experience. The mention of humidity seems backwards to me. When I lived in southern Ontario (across the river from Detroit), the relative humidity was typically over 95% in summer and still well over 50% in winter. I couldn't make a move without getting a shock off of something. (I was very glad that toilet paper is non-conductive.) Now that I've been back in Alberta for over 30 years, with dry air, the only shocks that I have received were from sliding out of a car with furry seat covers.
Also, neurons are not electrical in the same fashion as something like a lamp or a TV. They are electrochemical, in that ionic bonds run down the fibre something like a fuse or a zipper. (That's a poor explanation, but I'm not a doctor.) External electrical stimuli will interfere with that, but not in the same way that shuffling your feet on the carpet and touching your CPU will. I can't speak for anyone else, but in my case it was always the heat from a spark that triggered the burn/pain sensation, rather than the electricity itself. I do know that you specified a general electrical field as opposed to a spark, but felt that this might be worth mentioning.

awesome response thanks for clearing it up with me