When there’s a change in barometric pressure*, I’m more likely to get a migraine. Though that’s not the case with all migraine sufferers, I know others who experience the same thing, and I think the correlation is pretty well established. I don’t understand how this works, however. How does barometric pressure affect human physiology ? Why would it make anyone more prone to migraines? How does it affect other body parts or systems–or does it??
*That is, if barometric pressure drops. An increase doesn’t seem to affect me.
I’ve got relatively low blood pressure as my baseline, and so does my mother. We both always feel like shit when the weather suddenly changes from clear to stormy. (Never the reverse. I can’t recall which way the barometer changes, though.)
Looks like there is not a lot of research that has gone into this. The prevailing view seems :
1> Lower pressure makes it harder for the lungs to breathe (like on higher elevation)
2> Lower pressure reduces the partial pressure of oxygen in the air thereby making it harder to get oxygen into your blood
And yet your cite says that the only study done on the issue found that “rising barometric pressure … correlated with worsening symptoms”, the opposite effect of what your two proposals would produce. In any case I’m dubious about a report which says
Now we just need a study that says that symptoms worsen when barometric pressure remains unchanged.
The effects of barometric pressure on migraines is pretty well documented. I just don’t understand how. I mean, the notion that the full moon affects humans because it affects the tides, and humans are mostly water has been thoroughly debunked (I think by Cecil). How and why would humans be sensitive to atmospheric pressure?
Plenty of animals have been shown to respond to atmospheric pressure changes. Humans are an animal. Why wouldn’t we be the same?
As an analogy: We may not have a great sense of smell, but humans definitely respond to pheromones, even though we usually can’t pinpoint the cause or explain our responses.
I’d think barometric pressure changes and other atmospheric effects would be similar.