Can weather changes give you a headache?

 

Question from Irini Arman

This may sound like an old wives’ tale, but there is some evidence to suggest that rapid changes in the weather could leave your head throbbing. Studies suggest that the risk of a headache rises by 7.5 per cent if the temperature increases by five degrees Celsius within 24 hours. A 6.6-millibar drop in pressure can also increase the risk of a headache by six per cent.

The reason why headaches and weather are linked in this way isn’t clear, but researchers suggested that spikes in temperature might cause blood pressure to drop.

 

 

 

Answered by Katy Sheen for Brain Dump in How It Works issue 104.

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