“Trust me, it’s going to rain soon; I can feel it in my joints.”
“… Every time it gets this humid, I end up with a migraine.”
If you’ve ever noticed that you feel better or worse depending on the weather, rest assured, it’s not all in your head.
In fact, the weather has a much greater impact on our daily lives than many of us are aware of, far more than the clothes we choose to wear or our dinner plans for the week.
For many individuals, especially those living with neurological conditions, seasonal changes (yes! Even in Florida) can quietly trigger unpleasant symptoms such as migraines, fatigue, balance issues, brain fog, or even pain flare-ups, making daily life and enjoyable activities increasingly uncomfortable.
How Weather and Seasonal Changes Impact the Brain
We live in South Florida, where it’s almost always sunny and “always hot.” However, some days can feel significantly worse than others, bringing about symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, and joint pain without any clear explanation. This is especially true for individuals living with a neurological condition, who may be more sensitive to internal and external stressors.
It turns out that weather and atmospheric changes have a lot more of an impact on our neurobiological health than we credit for, and even small shifts can lead to significant differences in how we feel and function.
Barometric Pressure
Barometric pressure, also known as atmospheric pressure, measures the weight of the air around us and the Earth’s atmosphere.
We all know the feeling of takeoff and landing in an airplane. You may feel your stomach drop or sink and even get a bit lightheaded. These sensations, caused by major shifts in altitude, are how our bodies experience changes in barometric pressure.
Changes in barometric pressure are common during seasonal shifts and can impact how we feel on a very personal level.
Depending on the individual, a drop in barometric pressure from an incoming storm may cause a decrease in oxygen flow to the brain, triggering a migraine attack or an imbalance in sinus pressure. For others, this drop in pressure may cause an expansion of connective tissues, triggering joint pain and overall muscle fatigue. Do you remember when grandma used to say, “It’s going to rain tomorrow; I feel it in my joints?” Well, she actually did feel it. When the barometric pressure drops, the capsule around each and every one of our joints starts to expand. If there are arthritic changes in the joints, the capsule expands, which puts pressure on the joint. So, Grandma was always right and was actually the best weather forecaster there was!
Humidity
Simply put, humidity refers to the amount of moisture in the air. In Florida, we know humidity all too well. For some individuals, constant high humidity levels can put increased pressure on the body’s ability to regulate temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar, resulting in increased fatigue, overheating, swelling, or discomfort. For patients that have nerve sensitivity or inflammation, high-humidity environments can pose a challenge in reducing pain symptoms and managing a chronic condition.
Temperature Swings
Florida’s spring season brings about a gradual rise of temperature and humidity, but often, mornings may begin cool, while mid-afternoons become surprisingly hot and humid. Moving between air-conditioned indoor spaces and warm outdoor conditions can also place extra stress on the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature. These sudden changes can lead to fatigue, weakness, or cognitive changes, especially in individuals with neurological vulnerabilities.
Allergen Exposure
Florida’s warm, humid climate is ripe for keeping pollen, mold, and dust mites active. Alongside changes in weather patterns and proliferation, added exposure can impact the body’s ability to respond to these allergens. This “perfect storm” can result in congestion, sleep disruption, and inflammation, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, sinus pressure, brain fog, and headaches.
Neurological Conditions Affected by Atmospheric Changes
Some individuals are especially sensitive to shifts in weather, and their symptoms may appear almost immediately. While seasonal allergies and atmospheric changes such as humidity, temperature swings, or barometric pressure can trigger discomfort, they may also aggravate or resemble symptoms of underlying neurological conditions.
Below are several neurological disorders that frequently overlap with weather-related symptoms. Recognizing the connection can help determine when it is more than just a seasonal issue and when further evaluation may be helpful.
Chronic Migraine
Changes in barometric pressure, heat, and humidity are known migraine triggers. Although the weather may initiate a response, the underlying cause is often a neurological sensitivity to sensory and environmental input. I will frequently ask my patients to track their migraine and headaches and ask what the barometric pressure was the night before a “sick headache”; if they routinely find it is the same number, then we develop a strategy to avoid the sick headache the next day.
Vestibular Disorders
Conditions such as Meniere’s disease, vestibular neuritis, and post-concussion syndrome can cause dizziness and imbalance. These symptoms often become more pronounced during pressure changes that affect the inner ear and related systems.
Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction (Dysautonomia)
The autonomic nervous system regulates essential functions like temperature control, blood pressure, and heart rate. In individuals with dysautonomia, changes in humidity or temperature may lead to brain fog, fatigue, or lightheadedness. Often, my patients will have significant dizziness and imbalance in the hot and humid climate. I encourage them to maintain a cool core temperature and always be well-hydrated, especially in these upcoming summer months.
Fibromyalgia and Central Sensitization
People living with fibromyalgia or similar pain syndromes may notice an increase in pain, fatigue, or mental cloudiness during certain weather conditions. These disorders involve a nervous system that responds more intensely to both internal and external changes.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Many individuals with MS experience a temporary worsening of symptoms in warmer weather. Heat and humidity can interfere with nerve signal conduction, contributing to fatigue, muscle weakness, and slower thinking. Indeed, in the early 1900s, there was something called the “bath test “. Doctors would place patients suspected of possible multiple sclerosis in a hot bath, and if they were fatigued, weak, or exhausted, that would sometimes clinch the diagnosis. As the water cooled, they got some of their strength back and were able to get out of the bath.
Post-Concussion Syndrome
For individuals recovering from a concussion, even mild weather shifts such as storm activity or temperature fluctuations can trigger headaches, disrupted sleep, or concentration problems.
Tips for Managing Neurological Symptoms During Spring Shifts
While we can’t control the weather, we can control how our bodies react to it.
Track the Weather—and Your Symptoms
Use a simple journal or app to log symptoms along with weather changes. If you notice a pattern, this can help identify triggers over time.
Stay Hydrated
Make hydration part of your daily routine to help your body adapt to temperature and pressure changes.
Avoid Sudden Temperature Swings
Give your body time to adjust when moving between cool indoor spaces and warm outdoor conditions.
Get Proper Sleep
Poor rest often magnifies weather-related symptoms. To improve sleep quality, especially during storm season, use blackout curtains, white noise machines, and consistent daily routines.
Talk to Your Neurologist
If you notice a pattern, bring it up. There may be proactive steps, treatment adjustments, or preventive strategies that can help.
Prepare for the Weather and Feel Your Best
If your symptoms rise and fall with the weather, there’s a good chance your nervous system is trying to tell you something.
If you’ve been feeling foggy, tired, or off-balance during certain weather patterns, don’t write it off as “just the heat” or “getting older.” It may be your nervous system responding to environmental stress, and there may be ways to manage it more effectively.
Even when environmental triggers are part of the picture, the nervous system may amplify the body’s response. If symptoms seem to return with seasonal changes or do not improve with allergy treatment alone, it may be time to consider a neurological evaluation.
A Message From Dr. Kandel
“Knowing the weather can play a powerful role in your health, it is important we take advantage of all the tools that we have. The weather channel, Alexa, Siri, computer monitoring, or just watching the daily news and checking the weather/temperature can all be very helpful in planning your day.
For a hot humid day, make sure you take a long plenty of water, with electrolytes, as well as possibly a cooling wrap for your neck, a handheld portable fan, or even a mister. There are so many devices out there that is almost criminal not to protect yourself.
In this day and age, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.”
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Joseph Kandel, MD
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