Planning for weather is tricky with Londoners needing to consider the cold of November, rain showers and the heat of the Tube in their outfit choices.
But scientists at the Met Office have now said that meteorological events are giving Brits an actual physical headache as well as joint pain. This is all despite the fact that 2023 is set to be the hottest year on record.
Marco Petagna, a senior operational meteorologist for the National Weather Service, put forward his theory as Storm Ciarán passed through the UK.
“Feeling a headache or joint pain?” he tweeted. “‘It could be down, at least in part, to the rapidly changing air pressure.”
Feeling a headache or joint pain as #StormCiaran passes through?...studies like this suggest that it could be down, atleast in part, to the rapidly changing air pressure...https://t.co/csZEErs1wf
— Marco Petagna (@Petagna) November 2, 2023
Mr Petanga shared an article from Sharp Health News which states that atmospheric pressure decreases when weather conditions worsen.
Weather experts have found a link between changing weather conditions and fluctuations in people's mood.
This could be because atmospheric pressure can affect the pressure of oxygen in our blood in a similar way to the change that can occur when your body is at altitude.
Dr Joseph Aquilina, chief medical officer of SharpCare Medical Group, said: “The blood supply to our brains is very sensitive to changes in oxygen.
“To increase oxygen delivery to the brain, the body naturally dilates cerebral blood vessels. This increases blood flow to the brain but can trigger a headache.”
The explanation was helpful to some Twitter users.
“That explains it, I’ve had a headache this morning,” James Woodford tweeted in response to the Met Office notice. ”I’ve had a headache and felt generally very weird today,” another added.
Dr Aquilina said that while weather changes are unavoidable you can potentially get ahead of symptoms by drinking ample water, getting enough sleep and avoiding alcohol. It is thought around one in seven can suffer from symptoms.
