Many people with migraine recognize it: just before the weather changes, the headache begins. Sometimes even before the rain or storm actually starts. It's almost as if your body can predict the weather.

This is no coincidence. Various studies show that changes in air pressure can be an important trigger for migraine attacks. But to understand why that happens, we need to look at what happens at a cellular level in your brain.

And two things play an important role in this: air pressure and the electrolyte balance in your brain.

What air pressure actually is

Air pressure is literally the weight of the air around us. The atmosphere constantly presses on our bodies.

• High air pressure means that the air is heavier and exerts more pressure.

• Low air pressure means that the air is lighter and there is less pressure on our bodies.

When a weather system changes (for example, when a storm or rain front approaches), the air pressure can drop or rise relatively quickly.

For most people, this is barely noticeable. But for people with migraines, the body can react much more sensitively to this.

Why brains are sensitive to pressure changes

Your brain functions in an extremely precisely regulated system. Everything must be perfectly balanced:

• the amount of oxygen

• the energy supply

• the balance of neurotransmitters

• and especially the balance of electrolytes.

Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These minerals ensure that brain cells can create electrical signals and communicate with each other.

You can compare brain cells to small electrical circuits. To function properly, the electrical voltages inside and outside the cell must be perfectly balanced. Electrolytes regulate this tension.

When this balance is disrupted, brain cells can become overstimulated or temporarily stop functioning. This is a mechanism often seen in migraine.

What happens with low air pressure

When the air pressure drops, the pressure on the body changes, and thus also on the fluids in the body.

The body consists largely of water, in which minerals are dissolved. These fluids are found both inside and outside our cells. The distribution of minerals in these fluids determines how well a brain cell can create electrical signals.

A sudden drop in air pressure can cause a small shift in:

• pressure in blood vessels

• pressure in cerebrospinal fluid

• and the distribution of electrolytes around brain cells.

For healthy brains, this can often be well managed. But in people with migraines, brain cells are often more sensitive and more easily overstimulated.

That small disturbance can then cause neurons to suddenly become unstable.

Short circuit in the brain

When the electrolyte balance around brain cells is disrupted, a neuron can no longer properly regulate its electrical signals.

This can lead to a wave of overactivity in the brain. In neurology, this is also called a cortical spreading depolarization: a wave of dysregulation that slowly moves through the cerebral cortex.

During this phase:

• neurons become overstimulated

• they use a lot of energy

• and inflammatory substances are released.

These substances then affect the nerves and blood vessels around the brain. Especially the trigeminal nerve (an important nerve for pain in the head) becomes activated.

And that is when a migraine attack can begin.

Why some people are extremely sensitive to the weather

Not everyone reacts the same to changes in air pressure. People with migraines often have a brain that is more sensitive to stimuli and more easily unbalanced.

This can have various causes, such as:

• increased excitability of neurons

• a disturbed energy metabolism in the brain

• a lower pain threshold of the nervous system

• or a less stable electrolyte balance.

So, when a weather change occurs, it can be just the trigger that upsets the system.

Why minerals are so important in migraine

Because electrolytes play such an important role in the electrical activity of brain cells, a stable mineral balance can help make the brain more resilient to stimuli such as weather changes.

Minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and sodium help, among other things, with:

• regulating electrical signals in neurons

• stabilizing nerve cells

• supporting energy production in the brain

• and reducing overstimulation in the nervous system.

When this balance is more stable, brain cells can better cope with external stimuli such as stress, hormonal fluctuations, or changes in air pressure.

Appropriate support