Does Canada's wild weather give you migraines? A doctor explains

People around the world have long believed that the weather can affect their health, and for many in Canada, this time of year is particularly bad for those who get migraines.

December so far has seen atmospheric rivers and wind storms in Vancouver, warm Chinooks blowing into Calgary, and heavy snow in the east. Across the country, many complain that the wild weather gives them migraines.

But is there any truth to the claims? We spoke with migraine expert and neurologist Dr. Werner Becker about the science of so-called human barometers, and if you have always considered yourself environmentally sensitive, you might be surprised.

Can the weather give you a migraine?

“The science is incomplete,” Dr. Werner Becker told Daily Hive in an interview last week.

Becker has been among the leaders in migraine research and treatment guidelines in Canada for decades and has looked into the theory extensively.

Based in Calgary, Becker studied the impacts of Chinooks specifically, as it can be known as a tough place for migraine sufferers, to see if those temperature changes and high winds can trigger migraines.

“It’s been difficult for science to pinpoint what kind of weather changes can trigger migraine attacks,” he said, adding that one of the likely reasons for that is that migraine patients are different.

“Something might trigger one person’s attacks, whereas something might trigger another person’s attack, so it’s hard to get statistics,” he explained.

“One group seems to have a greater chance of a migraine attack on a pre-Chinook day before the wind comes in during the time when the barometric pressure is falling, so we think that’s likely the trigger but really haven’t proven that,” he said.

Others say that the migraines were triggered not before the Chinooks but during the warm winds, possibly related to the speed.

“When the Chinook winds get to a certain velocity, that velocity is about 38 km an hour, you get increased numbers of positive ions in the air. Shooting across the landscape and picking up dust, you get more positive ions… but we didn’t really prove that mechanism.”

He said that about half of the patients in the sample reported a greater chance of migraines when the Chinook wind came in.

He adds that other studies have been done to examine how low barometric pressure can trigger a migraine, such as when there’s a storm, and other studies have looked at how a change from a sunny day to a rainy one can trigger a migraine.

Another study out of Japan looked at humidity and how rainfall might be associated with lower pressures, higher humidities, and head pain.

Then, there are those who are examining not what the humidity or pressure systems are doing but instead the amount of air pollution that migraine sufferers have breathed in, which could also be a factor.

However, none of the research is able to truly and definitely prove the correlation of the attacks to Mother Nature.

If not the weather, then what?

Migraines are very different for everyone, both in what triggers them and what it feels like. There are different kinds of migraines, and there’s even a genetic element involved, which makes it very challenging to manage and mitigate.

Becker says overall migraines can be linked to stress, and therefore, taking steps to mitigate that stress might be life-changing.

“If you have a lot of stress that might bring your migraine out…it’s not really understood.”

For others, there is research to support that food can be a trigger.

“If they’re weather sensitive, and there’s a system moving in that they think might trigger a migraine for them, they can try to reduce their other triggers so that they’re a little more resistant to getting the attack, for example, maybe unloading their scheduled events, they’re not quite as fatigued and busy and stressed or perhaps avoiding taking a chance that glass of red wine or a hot dog for example,” he said.

If a person’s migraines are hormone-triggered, he says there are not as many options.

What about other hacks?

Many swear by tricks like putting fingers in boiling hot water or drinking a cup of coffee to knock down a migraine. Becker says caffeine has been shown to be a double-edged sword.

“You know, if you’re having a migraine attack and you don’t drink a lot of coffee, for example, a cup of coffee can be a bit of a treatment. It’s kind of a painkiller,” he said.

“But if you’re drinking coffee on a regular basis, maybe even two or three cups a day, then you miss your morning coffee that can trigger a migraine through caffeine withdrawal.”

He added that if you sleep in on the weekends and your body is used to a cup of joe at 7 am, you could wake up at 10 am with a migraine or a headache as a result because your body will be in withdrawal from the schedule change.

His advice? Keep to a routine.

Canadians still searching for answers

According to Migraine Canada, a charity aimed at educating and bringing awareness to migraines, an estimated 12% of Canadians (4.8 million!) live with migraine, adding that thousands of Canadians live with chronic migraine, where they suffer 15 days a month.

“It is characterized by severe, often “pounding,” head pain, nausea and/or vomiting and sensory hypersensitivity. It can be a life-altering and debilitating condition. In cases with aura, neurological deficits occur. Dizziness, vertigo, cognitive difficulties and neck pain are common with migraine attacks,” Migraine Canada said.

For some, that might come down to bad luck or your family history.

“For the usual kinds of migraine, there’s no single gene that’s responsible. It’s what we call a polygenic inheritance: there are many genes that can increase your tendency for migraine attacks,” Becker said.

But, it’s not totally genetic, as you could have migraine genes but still be impacted more so by your environment.

What else can you do?

Medication has come a long way in migraine treatments, in both a preventative capacity and a pain management response.

Becker said it’s important to determine how often you are getting migraines, when, and what your potential triggers are. Then, be sure to consult with your doctor for treatments.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Naproxen sodium can be in your system for 12 hours and could be good for treating an individual migraine attack, Becker said, adding that Triptan drugs are also shown to help but only for a few hours.

“You can’t take these things too often. If you take them on more than 10 days a month, you’re asking for more headache attacks, more migraine attacks because of what we call medication overuse headache,” he said.

The longer-term approach can also be addressed through beta-blockers, Amitriptyline, Botox, and all sorts of new medications like Gepants that block the CGRP receptor, he said.

Migraine Canada has more information for people to check out, including a breakdown of medications available, on their website.