Barometric pressure and migraine: what the studies say

Weather is one of the migraine triggers people report most often, and some diary studies have linked attacks to drops in barometric pressure of around 5 to 10 hPa. The studies are small, and fewer people turned out to be sensitive to the weather than believed they were. Recording the weather of each day next to your episodes lets you compare your own attacks with the pressure on those days.

Facts checked on · Written by Alfonso Matos, the developer of MyGrain.

How often people name the weather

In a study of 1,207 people with migraine, 53.2% named the weather as a trigger of their attacks; only stress, hormones in women and not eating were named more often (Kelman, Cephalalgia 2007).

What diary studies found about pressure drops

In Japan, 28 people with migraine kept a headache diary for a year: attacks were more frequent when the pressure fell by more than 5 hPa from the day of the headache to the next day, and weather changes were associated with attacks in 18 of the 28 (64%) (Kimoto, Internal Medicine 2011). In another diary study of 34 people with migraine, attacks were most frequent with small drops of 6 to 10 hPa below the standard pressure of 1013 hPa (Okuma, SpringerPlus 2015).

Not everyone is sensitive

Among 77 people with migraine who kept headache calendars, 62.3% believed the weather affected them, but the analysis found 50.6% sensitive to it, more often to temperature and humidity than to pressure (Prince, Headache 2004). In 7,054 emergency visits for headache, higher temperature increased the short-term risk and lower pressure did so to a lesser degree, only in headaches not diagnosed as migraine (Mukamal, Neurology 2009). These studies show an association, not that pressure causes your attacks.

Check it in your own diary

MyGrain saves the weather of each day for the city you set (pressure, temperature, sunshine, rain and humidity) next to your episodes. The pressure-drop alert for your area is free. With Premium, the 7-day weather forecast shows on how many days with drops like these you had a migraine, according to your own diary: it is an observation about your entries, not a prediction or a diagnosis. See how the weather forecast works.

Frequently asked questions

Can a drop in barometric pressure trigger a migraine?

Some diary studies linked migraine attacks to pressure drops of around 5 to 10 hPa (Kimoto 2011; Okuma 2015). They are small studies, and not everyone with migraine is sensitive to the weather.

How big a pressure drop did the studies measure?

Kimoto 2011 saw more attacks when the pressure fell by more than 5 hPa from the day of the headache to the next day; Okuma 2015 saw them most often with drops of 6 to 10 hPa below 1013 hPa.

Is everyone with migraine sensitive to the weather?

No. In Prince 2004, 62.3% of people with migraine believed the weather affected them, but 50.6% were found to be sensitive, and only some of them to pressure.

How can I see whether pressure affects me?

Log each episode for several months with the weather of that day and look at the record with your doctor. MyGrain adds the weather of your city to your diary automatically.

Sources

Peer-reviewed studies (PubMed), re-read on .

Medical disclaimer. MyGrain is a self-tracking diary, not a medical device. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or another qualified health professional with any question about a medical condition.
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