Migraines, colic & co.

Weather sensitivity: are symptoms real or imaginary?

Statistically speaking, one in three people is "sensitive to the weather" and more women than men tend to be affected.

(Bild: RFBSIP/stock.adobe.com)

When the weather affects your health: a new study by the Gemelli Clinic proves the connection between weather data and migraine attacks. ORF meteorologist Christa Kummer is affected by weather sensitivity and gets to the bottom of the matter scientifically. 

Cold and wet one day, thick fog and then warm and foehn the next. Autumn weather changes are a problem for many people. When the weather changes, many people often feel it in their bodies days in advance. Statistically speaking, one in three people are "sensitive to the weather", and more women than men. Older people more than younger ones. Those affected suffer more frequently from migraines, fatigue, sleep disorders or joint pain due to the change in weather. Weather sensitivity is not an illness, but it feels like one.

Nor is it imaginary. A new study from Rome has proven the connection between weather data and migraine attacks. Researchers at Gemelli Hospital collected data from patients who came to the emergency room with severe symptoms and found that the number of admissions to the emergency room correlated directly with the increase in temperature compared to the previous day. The researchers hypothesized that any variation in weather parameters could affect the excitability of the trigeminal nerve (this cranial nerve carries sensory information from the face to the brain) and thus facilitate the onset of seizures.