Why Do I Get So Many Headaches During the Summer?
If you've noticed more pain between your temples as the warmer months tick by, it may not be all in your head.
Some studies have suggested that hot or humid weather, bright sunlight and summer-related drops in outdoor air pressure can trigger headaches in some people.
Migraine sufferers in particular often report being the most affected, said Dr. Danielle Wilhour, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
While there isn't anything you can do to change the weather itself, the good news is that experts say there are some steps you can take to thwart the throbbing before it starts.
What the Research Suggests
It can be challenging for scientists to study how the outdoor world influences headache frequency, in part because everyone's triggers are different, and not everyone is triggered equally. It's also possible that early migraine symptoms are just associated with, rather than caused by, certain weather changes. As a result, the conclusions of relevant studies have been mixed.
In one study published in 2017, for instance, researchers found that warm and humid conditions in North Carolina were associated with more migraine-related emergency department visits compared with other weather patterns. In another study, published in 2023, researchers in Japan used a smartphone app to track self-reported headaches among nearly 4,400 adults — mostly women. After comparing that data with local weather patterns, they found that headaches were more common in humid weather, but not in the heat.
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