Jasmine: Hi, l'm Jasmine.
Chrissy: l'm Chrissy.
Jasmine: We're from NIU STEAM and...
Chrissy: You're listening to the Sound of Science on WNIJ.
Chrissy: Maybe you've experienced them - the signs you've learned to recognize as the precursor to a migraine. Many people reply with, "the weather must be changing, I have to go lie down." But what does that mean and how true is this?
Jasmine: Doctors are still learning about the triggers, causes, and physiology of migraines. However, a good number do agree that some weather-related factors may bring on a migraine attack. Barometric pressure, humidity, temperature, and storms do seem to have a link to headaches that will vary from person to person.
Chrissy: As weather patterns move across the globe, air pressure changes from region to region. If the air pressure drops, blood vessels within the brain have been found to widen, causing
serotonin to be secreted. Serotonin has been linked as a chemical associated with triggering migraines.
Jasmine: Humidity is the concentration of water vapor dispersed in the air within a given area. High humidity may signal the release of brain chemicals like serotonin, which as we know, has been found to trigger migraines. Dehydration is also a condition that can be affected by humidity levels, which also brings about migraines.
Chrissy: Temperature sensitive people seem to experience more migraines during certain seasons of the year. The results of migraine studies have varied when it has come to temperature
and more study is needed.
Jasmine: Finally, lightning has been loosely associated with the occurrence of symptoms in migraine sufferers. The proximity of the lightning and its charge seems to affect a number of people afflicted with headaches. Studies have produced mixed results, but lightning ground-sensors are allowing researchers to study the effects of lightning with more precision.
Chrissy: You've been listening to the Sound of Science on WNIJ, where you learn something new every day.
