The relationship between weather and migraines are not fully understood yet. Rapid weather changes, especially shifts in barometric pressure and extreme temperature swings, can trigger migraines for some people.
by Colleen ReynoldsOSF Healthcare
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Photo: Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash
Testing those theories can be difficult because the brain and the nervous system are so complex. “These neurons that we’re talking about are so teensy, tiny and can be influenced by so many factors, migraine being one of those that the sky is somewhat the limit on what triggers them and it’s very individualized to the person so that really adds a layer of complexity of giving someone sometimes a straightforward answer of why they have migraine or what their triggers are, because it can differ so much across the board,” Workman suggests.
- There is no cure for migraine headaches, so Workman says it truly is all about education and managing the condition by being prepared. Here are some approaches:
- Tracking headaches on a calendar can help identify weather-related patterns. She says that’ll help better identify triggers.
- Having medication readily available is also key. Workman emphasizes the importance of always having your medication with you in case a migraine comes on, especially unexpectedly.
- Managing stress and routinely getting enough sleep are important.
- Focusing on a better diet and drinking more water to avoid dehydration is also a key to better management of migraine.
No doubt life is always changing. If you don’t like the weather it will change, eventually. It’s been hot most all over but cooler weather will come. In most of the country, cooler weather will be welcomed sooner rather than later.
An Arizona friend told me last week, “One hundred degrees is actually nice in our area. One hundred and twenty degrees is unbearable.” Across our country, Europe and Asia record temperatures have been recorded and for the longest periods of time.
When it’s icy cold weather we hope and wish for warm weather. The problem in many of our areas is that we don’t have much moderately cool weather or moderately warm. It seems to either be blazing hot or freezing cold.
It’s hard to be satisfied. We get too hot and then we get too cold. Triple digit heat is insane and so is below zero. No one wants either one.
Have you ever been satisfied with your Ife? When were you satisfied? Were you happy when your parent was telling you what to do and how to live? Do you still have them telling you what to do? The day comes when they are no longer around. Most likely you didn’t take as much advice from them as you should have.
We don’t pay much attention to old people when we are young but we wish we had. They knew more than us but we thought we knew everything. We now know how smart they were. We learn the hard way and by the time we figure it out life has greatly changed.
Life is always changing. Children grow into adults. Our bodies change. We get old if we are very fortunate and blessed.
If possible, try to be happy and content today with what you have, where you are and what you are doing. Life changes and while it may get better and better, it can always become worse.
Enjoy the sunshine and enjoy the rain. Enjoy the car ride or sitting in your swing. Enjoy whatever labor you have to do. The time is coming when all will be through. Live your life the best you can and there will be times you don’t understand. So, make your schedule, make your plans and always do the best you can. After all is said and done, it’s all in God’s hands.
To examine the impact of extreme temperatures with and without high levels of fine particulate pollution, the researchers analyzed 202,678 heart attack deaths between 2015-2020 that occurred in Jiangsu province, a region with four distinct seasons and a wide range of temperatures and fine particulate pollution levels. The deaths were among older adults with an average age of 77.6 years; 52% were older than age 80; and 52% were male. Particulate exposure on the day of each death and one day before death were included in the analysis.
Extreme temperatures were gauged according to the daily heat index (also referred to as apparent temperature) for an area, which captures the combined effect of both heat and humidity. Both the length and extremeness of heat waves and cold snaps were evaluated. Heart attack deaths, or case days, during these periods were compared with control days on the same day of the week in the same month — meaning that if a death occurred on a Wednesday, all other Wednesdays in the same month would be considered control days. Particulate levels were considered high on any day with an average level of fine particulate matter above 37.5 micrograms per cubic meter.
"Our findings provide evidence that reducing exposure to both extreme temperatures and fine particulate pollution may be useful to prevent premature deaths from heart attack, especially for women and older adults," Liu said.
Compared with control days, the risk of a fatal heart attack was observed at the following levels:
