The weather is changing. You can sense it with your body before you even check the weather forecast. But why do changes in weather lead to headaches and even changes in your mood?

Studies behind weather and the impact on how we feel have been completed by meteorologists to health scientists as the sciences overlap to consider why this happens.

In recent years, scientists even coined the terms meteoropathy and meteorosensitivity with a distinct difference between the two. Meteoropathy refers to people who develop new diseases or symptoms worsen due to altering weather conditions while meteorosensitivity is applied to those who experience physical or mental changes when weather varies. Meteoropathy can even be split into two separate categories with those who experience symptoms then symptoms get better as weather goes back to normal and then those who have chronic diseases. Scientists also note that meteoropathy is not widely recognized across the world, but some research has been done. Researchers in one study say many different weather phenomena can be linked to meteoropathy and those include changes in atmospheric pressure. They say that changes in the many weather variables can be linked to a shift in the concentration of cerebral neurotransmitters found in the brain. Researchers point out one instance where weather changes can mean elevated levels of a specific hormone. When this happens, some patients will experience anxiety, irritability and/or palpitations. This can also lead to reduced endorphins which will decrease the pain threshold. 

Another study points to the vagus nerve being impacted.

A study done on mice showed that certain neurons changed when barometric pressure shifted. Scientists note these act in a similar way for humans. When pressure drops, it’s been shown that an increase in pressure on inflamed tissue can lead to greater general pain and sinus headaches. 

It is a feeling some have known for years, thanks to their body’s reactions to changes in weather, but it feels as though scientists are just recently diving into the why. Researchers note that more awareness can only help to find more answers for those that feel the impact as weather changes.