Many people feel like the weather affects their headaches … but is there science to back it up?
Many people report that weather conditions such as barometric pressure changes, wind, humidity, cold and dryness can trigger their headaches. However, the verdict’s still out as to whether there’s an actual scientific link between weather and headaches.
One study, conducted over seven years and involving more than 7,000 patients, found that increasing temperatures and decreasing barometric pressure over 24 hours led to an increase in risk of headache requiring a trip to the ER over the next two to three days.1
In another study of 77 headache clinic participants, patients were given a questionnaire determining their beliefs about how strongly weather triggered their headaches; then the study authors analyzed weather data from the National Weather Service. The results? The study found that weather affected the migraines of about half of the participants. But get this: two-thirds of the study participants believed that weather was a factor. This suggests that fewer people are actually affected by the weather than believe they are.2
