When we suffer from some type of headache, we usually blame factors such as poor sleep, eating too much, alcohol, fatigue, or loud noises. However, recent research has revealed that sudden changes in temperature can cause all kinds of headaches. These studies establish that in the face of sudden rises of a minimum of five degrees Celsius, the risk of visiting health centers afflicted by episodes of migraine or headache increases considerably. Also the decrease in barometric air pressure, especially when it is going to rain, is a frequent factor in the generation of this kind of ailments.
Headaches are linked to temperature changes
And it is that approximately 43% of migraine attacks in women have climate change itself as a determining agent of their triggering. It is a throbbing and very intense headache that is usually accompanied by a feeling of vomiting or nausea, sensitivity to light or loud noises, and which is increased if we make any kind of physical effort. The weather can be very influential in the appearance of headaches but, according to specialists, in no case is it considered a medical cause.
The explanation of the reasons why weather changes have such an impact on our health has a double interpretation. On the one hand, our head and neck are made up of a structure of bones and muscles that may well be agents affected by these weather changes, generating tension in the surrounding area that leads to severe headaches. On the other hand, temperature instability can considerably modify our mood, affecting serotonin, which is one of the neurotransmitters most closely related to headache episodes.
According to doctors, to combat this kind of headaches it is recommended to avoid so-called compound analgesics which, by having elements such as caffeine or codeine in their composition, can become highly addictive. The best option is to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid, always in an adequate dose recommended by the specialist.