Living Well Can your achy knees predict a rainy day?
Or do you always get a headache on gloomy weather days?
It all boils down to changes in the air around us and how those changes mess with our bodies. So let's take a moment to go over a bit of Meteorology 101...
You've probably heard the TV weatherman rattling off phrases like "low barometric pressure" and "approaching cold front."
Barometric pressure (also called atmospheric pressure) is the amount of force from air molecules pressing down on a certain area of the Earth's surface. Think of a barometer as a scale that tells you the weight of the air pressing down on you.
With low barometric pressure, the air can freely move around and rise... meaning a storm could be approaching. High barometric pressure means air stays closer to the ground for clear, blue skies.
As for the role temperature plays, it comes down to cold air being denser than warm air. So fall and winter usually feature higher barometric pressure than spring and summer.
The term "cold front" is exactly what it sounds like – a swath of cold air. When a cold front comes nearer, barometric pressure starts dropping and then begins rising after the cold front passes.
Now, let's go over what changes in barometric pressure and temperature mean for your body...
Your Head
A sudden shift to lower barometric pressure can cause the pressure inside your sinuses to increase. And that sinus headache can give way to a dreaded migraine. In fact, a 2023 study of more than 4,000 adults aged 34 on average found that lower barometric pressure, changes in pressure, more rain, and higher humidity were linked to a higher number of headaches occurring.
And there may be a reason why your wife reaches for the Excedrin more than you... According to a recent study in BMC Research Notes, headaches triggered by low barometric pressure tend to hit women harder than men.
But rather than either of you popping a pill, I recommend grabbing a glass of water at the first sign of a headache. You might be dehydrated, which is a common cause of headaches. I also follow that up with some belly breathing, done at a steady pace while focusing on the movement of my diaphragm. Taking five minutes with some deep breaths helps eliminate some of that stress that can be causing that nasty headache.
Your Joints
When barometric pressure suddenly drops, that means the weight pressing down on your body decreases and your tissues can swell in response. Like with your blood, cold temperatures can also make the synovial fluid lubricating and cushioning your joints thicken. That gooier fluid can't slide around very well to protect your joints from rubbing against each other. So those aches and pains might feel worse starting around this time of the year.
Even if your joints get achy, try to stay active this winter. (Don't strain yourself, though.) Specifically, keeping up with resistance exercise strengthens not just your bones and muscles but also your tendons and ligaments to better protect those joints.
What's more, weight-bearing exercise helps us maintain muscle mass, which we start losing as early as age 30. It's probably the most important exercise you'll need in your older years, too... I discussed this – along with my favorite equipment-free strength move that you can do right in your living room – in a recent issue of my flagship newsletter Retirement Millionaire. If you're not already a subscriber, get started here.
Your Blood
You tend to have higher blood pressure in winter than in summer. That's because the cold narrows blood vessels as your body instinctively tries to keep the blood flow concentrated around the core of your body where all of your major organs are located. And narrower tubes carrying the blood means blood pressure increases.
A 2023 study looked at data over a five-year period on more than 60,000 folks aged 62 on average with high blood pressure, or hypertension. Researchers found that the average systolic blood pressure was slightly higher in the winter than in the summer. Participants were 10% more likely to be able to control their blood pressure in the summer, compared with an 8% lower likelihood in the winter.
Cold temperatures and lower barometric pressure can also thicken the blood. And guess what? More viscous blood happens to be typical in Type 2 diabetics – elevated glucose, or sugar, levels in blood can make for a thicker fluid that moves sluggishly throughout your body. Cold temperatures can trigger your body to release stress hormones which can cause problems with creating enough insulin to help control glucose levels.
So if you suffer from hypertension and/or diabetes, you may want to keep closer tabs on your blood pressure and blood-sugar levels during this seasonal shift.
What We're Reading...
- Did you miss it? My four favorite cures for your cranial woes.
- Something different: The most crucial weather forecast in history.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
September 24, 2024