One day its snowing and 7 degrees, the next its sunny and 70.
As Medical Director of the Headache Center at Corewell Health, neurologist Jared Pomeroy knows when that happens his office better get ready.
“I can pretty well tell when there’s a huge change in the weather pattern here in Michigan that the next 2-3 days are going to be busy.”
According to the American Migraine Foundation migraine is a sensory perceptual disorder with hypersensitivities to stimulation, including changes in barometric pressure caused by weather. There are so many factors surrounding migraine triggers, research results vary greatly on weather’s specific effects but those who treat migraine see the link even if they can’t explain it.
“Over a fifth of women and 10% of men are affected by migraine and a lot of these people are weather-sensitive.”
Dr. Pomeroy says those patients should prepare by managing other factors such as poor sleep, alcohol intake, processed foods or skipped meals.
“Like you would be preparing your house for a hurricane, as the weather front’s coming, think: the triggers I can control am I controlling in these days before the weather event? “
He recommends having an action plan. Make sure medication is available and talk with a doctor about possibly taking it preemptively.
“You can’t control the weather, but you can be prepared for it, right?”
