How Weather Changes Trigger Headaches and What You Can Do About It
It is very commonly reported that changes in weather can trigger headaches and/or migraine. If you experience headaches from weather changes, you may be nodding in agreement right now! Weather is the fourth most commonly reported cause of migraine, with stress being the #1 trigger of migraine.
Though there are many anecdotal reports on headaches triggered by weather changes, most research is inconclusive on causes and treatments for weather-related headaches. This is partially because it is hard to study and there are so many other variables at play.
I can say from my clinical experience as a physical therapist that lots of my clients report more pain and headaches on rainy days or when there are notable shifts in barometric pressure.
Just because there isn’t robust research on a topic, or the exact mechanism isn’t understood, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a correlation present. Humans are widely variable and everyone experiences headaches, pain, and weather effects differently.
In this blog post, I’m going to outline what the research does indeed say about weather-related headaches and migraine, combine it with my clinical experience, and give you my best recommendations for what to do about headaches from weather changes.
We are going to talk about:
What happens during weather changes and how it can affect the body
Types of headaches caused by weather
The science behind weather related headaches
How to help headaches caused by weather changes
How physical therapy can help headaches from weather changes
What happens during weather changes and how it can affect the body
As weather systems move and shift, the atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure, changes. Barometric pressure is a measure of the downward force of the atmosphere on an object. In this case, that object is your body! Barometric pressure can affect your sinus cavities, blood vessels, inner ear, and joints. More on this to follow.
Temperature and humidity also shift along with the weather and barometric pressure.
Temperature affects your blood vessels by either constricting or dilating them. This is the premise behind using a heating pad or ice pack on an injury or sore muscle. Cold temperatures constrict blood vessels which reduces blood flow, while warm temperatures dilate blood vessels which increases blood flow.
Rapid change of temperature or extreme temperatures can affect your body and how you feel. This is based on altered blood flow in response to the temperature change. The changes in how you feel are more pronounced when the temperature shifts happen quickly.
Humidity typically makes it harder for your body to regulate temperature since high humidity is correlated with high heat. Dehydration from hot and humid environments can lead to headaches and muscle cramps.
As you can see, there are several ways that barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity affect people who are prone to headaches!
Types of headaches caused by weather
There are three types of headaches caused by weather that we will cover today: migraine, tension headaches, and sinus headaches.
Migraine
Technically, migraine is classified as a neurological disorder, not purely a headache disorder. Because of this, migraine is multifactorial and has a wide variety of presentations. Common symptoms of a migraine attack include pain in the head, face, and eyes, light sensitivity, aura, vision changes, fatigue, and nausea
Migraine attacks can have many triggers. The top five most common, in order, are:
Stress
Hormones
Missing a meal/hunger/fasting
Weather change
Sleep disturbances
Additional triggers include smells, neck pain, light, alcohol, and heat. Some people report weather being a trigger, while others do not.
Tension headaches
Tension headaches are caused by tight and tense muscles in the neck, face, and shoulders. Weather can affect tension headaches through dehydration, which affects muscles in the neck, face and shoulders. When these muscles are tense or unhappy, they refer pain into the head, triggering a headache.
Other common triggers of tension headaches include upper body lifting, stress, anxiety, chronic forward head posture, and desk work.
Sinus headaches
Sinus headaches are caused by pressure and inflammation in the sinus cavities. This can be the result of a virus or infection affecting the sinuses, changes in weather, and chronic forward head posture.
Changes in pressure and fluid distribution can affect blood flow in the head and sinuses, leading to headaches and sinus irritation.
The science behind weather-related headaches
This is where the research is inconclusive. Based on limited research study designs that can be used to answer these questions, there isn’t a robust body of evidence to determine if or how weather changes cause headaches.
Some correlations can be identified by comparing the headache journals of study participants to national weather reports. But even in this case, there are confounding variables that make definitive conclusions hard to make.
The science nerd in me wants clear answers and causations, but they simply don’t exist with high certainty right now. What we have to go off are hypotheses and subjective reports from people who experience headaches.
The theories behind the connection between headaches and weather changes are mostly based on the effects of barometric pressure on the body and nervous system.
Here are some of the top theories right now:
One theory is that nerve function in an area of the brain called the spinal trigeminal nucleus is increased during times of lower barometric pressure. This increased nerve function can increase perceptions of pain. This theory also suggests that sensory information from the inner ear, sinuses, and eyeball may be interpreted by the brain as painful following changes in barometric pressure. This is why pain in the eyes is common in weather-triggered migraine attacks.
Another theory suggests that a decrease in barometric pressure increases activity of the sympathetic nervous system. This is the “fight or flight” branch of the nervous system and is activated during a stress response. Sympathetic nervous system activation causes vasoconstriction, lower blood oxygen levels, and lower pH. Any of these responses could be involved in triggering a headache by altering blood flow to the brain, head, and face.
It is also observed that weather changes that increase the ratio of positive ions to negative ions in the air leads to an increase in the neurotransmitter serotonin. Higher levels of serotonin in the brain and blood are observed during migraine attacks. There is a theory called “serotonin irritation syndrome” whereby higher serotonin levels trigger a migraine attack. It is theorized that this increase in serotonin is at play with the correlation between weather changes and migraine.
Building on the serotonin theory, studies have found that a small decrease in barometric pressure causes the dilation of blood vessels in the brain. This blood vessel dilation triggers serotonin release from platelets. This increase in serotonin causes vasoconstriction of blood vessels and is associated with the onset of aura. The last part of this process happens when serotonin levels decrease. There is a rapid dilation of blood vessels in the brain as serotonin levels fall, which can trigger a migraine.
Of note, the body tends to produce more serotonin in the summer vs the winter.
It makes sense that changes in the atmospheric pressure would cause direct changes in our sinus pressure. Several studies have looked at this without conclusive results. However, it is noted that this theory is most likely to manifest in people with structural abnormalities to the sinuses, which is quite common with the high prevalence of mouth breathing. More research is needed on this.
Lastly, it is theorized that barometric pressure acts on sensory receptors in the inner ear. The inner ear is also where our vestibular system resides. The pressure changes picked up by the inner ear receptors can send pain signals to the brain, triggering a headache or migraine attack.
How to help headaches caused by weather changes
There are things you can do to help headaches from weather changes! The key is to focus on the factors that are in your control.
As you know, we cannot control mother nature. Because of this, focusing on tangible things you can do to mitigate other headache triggers is crucial during times of changing weather.
Here are the top things to focus on to reduce headaches and migraine attacks during weather changes:
Stay hydrated. As we saw above, a lot of the mechanisms of headaches and migraine attacks during weather changes have to do with altered blood flow to the brain. Dehydration will only amplify these effects.
Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. For example, someone who weighs 200 pounds should drink 100 oz of water each day.
Optimize sleep quality. Sleep is crucial for recovery and regulation of all body systems. Poor quality sleep is correlated with higher pain levels in general
Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Be sure to get light exposure in the morning and limit light exposure 1-2 hours before bed. This will help regulate your circadian rhythm and improve sleep quality.
Fuel your body well. Many people who experience headaches and migraine attacks can identify food triggers. Avoid these food triggers during times of notable high weather change. Sugar is a common headache trigger and increases systemic inflammation, so really focus on limiting sugar intake. Remember, sugar is sneakily in so many food and beverages so be sure to read food labels.
Use caution in bright light. I know we just said that light exposure in the morning helps improve sleep quality. But prolonged bright light exposure can be irritating on the eyes and worsen a headache. Be sure to use sunglasses and opt for polarized lenses to cut the glare and squinting.
Process your stress. Stress increases activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which as we discussed above, can be a mechanism behind headaches and migraine attacks. Stress also gets stored in muscles, especially muscles of the head, neck, and jaw.
First, become aware of stress triggers and how you typically react. Then, choose to adopt practices that help you work through the stressful thoughts and emotions. Things like journaling, breath work, meditation, prayer, exercise, time with loved ones, and walking can all help process stress.
Try to avoid stress-numbing activities like drinking alcohol and distraction through scrolling social media or binging Netflix. These things may feel good in the moment, but don’t actually help you work through the stress.
Keep medication handy. Headache and migraine medications can be helpful, especially during times of uncontrollable weather changes. Talk with your physician about the best medications to use and how to effectively dose them for optimal effect.
Natural remedies. There are a few supplements that have been shown to help reduce headache pain: magnesium oxide, vitamin B2, and CoQ10. Food sources of magnesium include dark leafy greens, fish, soybeans, bananas, and avocado. Food sources of vitamin B2 include milk, meat, eggs, nuts, and green veggies.
See your physical therapist. Believe it or not, physical therapists can help you manage your headaches and migraine, even the weather related ones! More on this below.
How physical therapy can help headaches from weather changes
As we discussed above, there are many processes at play in the body in the experience of weather related headaches. Again, no one can control the weather. However, we can manage all other parts of your body’s function and lifestyle habits to make you more resilient.
Tight muscles in the neck, face, and shoulders are related to tension headaches, migraine, and sinus headaches. Physical therapists are experts at identifying muscle tension, relieving it, and helping you develop strategies to keep the muscle tension at bay.
Body work including dry needling, cupping, soft tissue massage, trigger point release, and myofascial release are all ways physical therapists can help you reduce muscle tension.
Physical therapists can also teach you breathing and mobility drills to help keep this tension from coming back. Additionally, physical therapists can
The body work is step one, but must be paired with exercise and lifestyle modification to keep the muscle tension from returning on a consistent basis! This is a very important concept to remember in your wellness journey.
Physical therapists can also help you alleviate pain associated with weather changes. Again, physical therapists don’t only give exercises. We also educate you to help you optimize your overall lifestyle, health, habits, and well-being. Learning how to optimize small habits on a regular basis can have a profound impact on how you feel! A great physical therapist will dive into this with you and develop your customized plan to improve well-being and resilience.
If you’re someone who experiences chronic pain, weather related changes can exacerbate your pain. Research shows that simply understanding how pain works and is processed in the nervous system is hugely beneficial for reducing the experience of pain. Physical therapists can educate you on this process, thereby bringing safety to your nervous system and reducing pain.
Conclusion:
Thanks for sticking with me throughout this blog post! We covered a ton of information about what happens during weather changes and how it affects the body, the science behind headaches from weather changes, what you can do to help ease pain from weather related headaches, and how physical therapy can help.
The key is to be proactive and look at multiple aspects of your lifestyle. You can’t control the weather, but there are a lot of things in your locus of control that can help you feel better.
If you have questions about any of this content and how it relates to you as a unique human, we would love to talk with you! You can contact us here or schedule a free call with one of our physical therapists to chat in more detail.
References:
Okuma et al. Examination of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure related to migraine. 2015. DOI 10.1186/s40064-015-1592-4
Denney et al. Whether weather matters with migraine. 2024. DOI 10.1007/s11916-024-01216-8
Kesserwani, H. Migraine triggers: An overview of the pharmacology, biochemistry, atmospherics, and their effects on neural networks. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.14243
Maini et al. Headache and barometric pressure: A narrative review. doi.org/10.1007/s11916-019-0826-5