The weather in Germany has never been as destructive and unstable as it was this summer. The change in the weather not only led to problemsFlood, strong winds andsevere stormsbut also worsened existing illnesses such as migraines, rheumatism and asthma. It's not a myth: an intense change in weather and especially low air pressure has a noticeable effect on our bodies. AtWeather sensitivitybecome commonSymptomssuch as headaches, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, tiredness, irritability, sleep disorders and joint or muscle pain. Below you will find out how the body reacts to changes in the weather.
Weather sensitivity: What does the weather do to us?
Do you feel a storm coming? Have you been told that you are a human barometer that can detect changes in air pressure? You are not crazy and you are not alone. It's possible to feel the coming storm "in your bones" - or in your head.
Barometric pressure is atmospheric pressure, the weight of the atmosphere.Changes in air pressureaffect our bodies in different ways. Some people are more sensitive to changes in the weather than others, such as people with migraines orArthritis. When air pressure drops, it means a storm or other type of weather change is impending.
However, it is difficult to say that air pressure alone is responsible for the additional discomfort. Weather changes and storms are accompanied by other changes, such as temperature fluctuations, rain or snow, and changes in the wind. Here are the most common effects that weather sensitivity has on our bodies.
Weather sensitivity is shown by:
Headache
It's not just an old wives' tale: bad weather can cause headaches. In fact, in 2015, Japanese researchers found that sales of headache medications directly correlate with the drop in barometric pressure, which is what happens before really bad weather hits. In oneArticle for The Conversationexplains Professor of Neuroscience at Durham University, Dr. Amanda Ellison, how this works.
“There are two mechanisms of action here,” she writes. “One is related to the sinuses – the four small air-filled cavities in the facial bones. Just as ears “pop” when air pressure changes, changes in atmospheric air pressure can cause aImbalance of pressure in the sinusescausing inflammation and pain. Depending on which sinus is most affected, the pain feels different: it ranges from pain in the forehead to pain between and behind the eyes to pain in the face or diffuse headaches in the front or back of the head. What you are more susceptible to depends on the individual structure of your head.
“The other mechanism why weather sensitivity manifests itself as a headache is related to the way changes in air pressure affect theAlter blood flow in the cerebrovascular system, which controls how blood circulates in the head,” writes Ellison. “Blood is highly toxic to neurons and therefore it is very important that the blood remains separated from the brain. The blood vessels of the cerebrovascular system have receptors that are activated when the blood vessels dilate too much, acting as an early warning system that something is wrong. We perceive this activation as pain.” Because blood flow to the brain changes, sensitivity to the weather can also affect your ability to concentrate.
Ellison bats asHome remedy chewing gumbefore. “It can and can help equalize the pressure in the sinuses via the mouth, nose and Eustachian tube (which runs from the middle ear to the throat and is very important for equalizing pressure).Prevent tension headaches.
Weather-related migraines
Air pressure fluctuations are one of the most commonly cited weather-relatedMigraine triggers. Another migraine trigger is the temperature fluctuations, which are usually accompanied by changing air pressure. “Any change in temperature, from warm to cold or from cold to warm, can trigger a migraine attack,” says headache specialist Dr. Cynthia Armand.
“If the changing air pressure accompanies a thunderstorm, the likelihood of this triggering a migraine attack is even greater,” said Dr. Vince Martin, director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the University of Cincinnati's Gardner Neuroscience Institute. He explained his fascinating research results about theConnection between migraines and lightning:
“We haveA 2013 study in the journal Cephalalgiapublished in which we found that there is a 25 to 30% increased risk of new onset headaches if there is a thunderstorm within 25 miles of the person's home, meaning the headache started that day, or for a new onset migraine.
“Then we developed models that allow us to determine whether it was lightning or the other meteorological factors associated with a thunderstorm, such as precipitation or barometric pressure,” he says. “Even after we took these factors into account, lightning was still a unique trigger for migraines.”
Respiratory problems
The low air pressure associated with bad weather isn't the only thing that can affect us.Rising humiditycan also cause pressure and pain in the face. This is because when the humidity is high, the...Mucus production in the Sinusesincreases to trap allergens, dust and dirt particles that are abundant in the dense, humid air. This can lead to congestion, inflammation, and discomfort in the sinuses – often leading to sinusitis headaches.
Hot, humid weather can do thatDifficult to breathe, especially for people with pre-existing lung diseases. Air pollution, which is even worse in hot weather, also plays a role.
Weather sensitivity and circulation
How can today's barometric pressure affect your blood pressure? Hercirculatory systemconsists of your heart, which acts as a pump, and your arteries and veins, which carry blood to and from the heart and tissues. Blood pressure is determined by the speed and strength of your heart and the resistance of your blood vessels. The change in blood pressure is another important effect of air pressure on health.
“Blood pressure is generally higher in winter and lower in summer. This is becauseLow temperatures constrict blood vessels. This causes blood pressure to rise because more pressure is required to pump blood through the narrowed veins and arteries,” explains Dr. Sheldon Shepsat MayoClinic.org.
When it's hot in summer, our blood vessels dilate to release body heat, which leads to...low blood pressureleads. As a result, the circulation becomes weaker and the blood circulates more poorly. The typical symptoms of low blood pressure are dizziness, nausea, headaches and fatigue.
“Blood pressure can also be affected by a sudden change in the weather, such as: B. by a weather front or a storm,” says Dr. Sheps. “Your body – and your blood vessels – can react to sudden changes in humidity, barometric pressure, cloud cover or wind in the same way that it reacts to cold.”
“These weather-related blood pressure fluctuations occurmore common in people aged 65 and overup,” he wrote.
Sensitivity to the weather and blood sugar
When air pressure drops during a cold front, the viscosity orThickness of blood tosaid Jennifer Vanos, assistant professor of geosciences at Texas Tech, in an interview with Weather.com. “Diabetichave more trouble controlling their blood sugar during cold fronts,” she said.
A rapid drop in blood sugar levels could also be onetrigger a migraine attack. Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition in which blood sugar drops rapidly, usually when the sugar rush from carbohydrate- or glucose-rich foods wears off. This is one of the least understood but very real migraine triggers.
When blood sugar levels fall due to environmental changes, this can result in a so-calledTiredness at low air pressure(low barometric pressure fatigue) lead. So a change in the weather actually makes you tired. The lack of glucose in the brain causes symptoms such as:Difficulty concentratingordizziness.
Joint pain, knee arthrosis, etc.
Like Dr. Jaspal Singh of the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care in New York told the New York Times,our joints reactactually due to changes in air pressure.
“At normal or higher air pressure, when the atmosphere is heavier, it pushes against us from outside, preventing our body tissues from expanding,” explains the NY Times. “But when air pressure drops – like before humid, rainy or snowy weather – body tissues have more room to expand. When this occurs, it can press against our joints, which is common for some people, especially those withInjuries or arthritis, leads to pain.”
Interesting fact: Low air pressure can trigger a spontaneous birth
According to a seven year oldStudy by Japanese doctors, which appears in the trade journalArchives of Gynecology and Obstetricspublished, there is a connection between a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure and the water breaking during a normal birth, also called “spontaneous birth”. The results suggest that low air pressure triggers rupture of membranes and birth.
