From celebrities to the common man on the streets, death – like taxes – is inevitable. By now you’d have already heard of the demise of Alan Rickman and David Bowie last month. Yet, have you noticed that January seems to be the month that chalks up the most deaths? Have you then wondered why is this so? Here are some bite-sized information that may give a clue as to why it’s such a deadly month!
- It is right after the holidays.
First there was Christmas, then there was the New Year – if you haven’t already been suffering from holiday blues due to too much festivities going about, then you may have just begin to feel like you are being buried with work as you reel in from the extended breaks. Of course, ill patients may also ‘postpone’ their deaths so as to enjoy the holidays (by sheer will), which may also contribute to the high number. Whatever the case may be, January boosts one of the lowest moods around, which brings us to the next point: - It has the most depressing day of the year!
Believe it or not, the third Monday of the month has been dubbed the most depressing day of the year! Based on a formula which was said to weigh factors from the surrounding to personal issues, by applying a mathematical algorithm, it is probably the “bluest” Monday ever. While the calculation by be highly disputed, one can’t deny the fact that it’s still a Monday!! - Changes in the Weather
While other countries may see more deaths during January due to the fact that it is the coldest month, the SEA region enjoys warm weather basically all year round – or do we? Other than the fact that a freak in nature has caused many countries to be frozen all over this year, where even Thailand had temperatures as low as 16 deg, our region does experience changes in weather, such as the monsoon season or extreme dry (read: hot) season. This is also a cause for the rise in the number of deaths in January as well. - Genetics and your immune system
The changes in the weather brings about another change – this time it’s the immune system. The genes in our body get used to a certain type of weather and when it suddenly changes, the body gets confused. Have you ever noticed how you may easily catch a cold despite the weather being warm and toasty? Well, that’s the reason for it. Couple that with inflammation of sorts which might be deadly, and that’s probably why more people croak during January!
