by Sam E. Jones

Created on: September 02, 2010

Many people know it, even if unconsciously; weather affects you, even if you’re not sure in what ways.

People have often associated rainy days with doom and gloom and sadness; that’s why so many artists use it as a metaphor when writing sad or cheerless songs or when writing stories or making movies. Rain is associated with tears, and dark clouds overhead are very symbolic. Quite often people think of snow in ways that are quite opposite even though the action is very nearly the same; they are both just precipitation falling from the sky.

One thing people may not know about however is how pressure systems might be affecting them; especially high pressure systems. It’s actually kind of odd how distant most people are from this weather phenomena, when you consider that it’s something that other earlier societies and cultures took for granted. A high pressure system means that the air around you is more pressurized than when things are regular or during a low pressure system. Think of this as being inside of a balloon as it is being blown up. The air pressure increases and has an impact on your body.

One of the most common things people experience as a result of a high pressure system moving in, is a lowered ability to concentrate. Klaus Bucher, a biometeorology researcher in Freiburg, Germany who has along with his colleagues been studying the effects of high pressure systems found that when people are tested during times of high air pressure their ability to perform tasks that require concentration goes down; which in many cases made them susceptible to mistakes that they would not have made under normal circumstances.

And that’s not all, some studies have indicated that due to sinus compaction from high pressure weather events, many people tend to feel headaches and sometimes nausea when high pressure systems move in, especially when there is also high levels of ozone present, which is common during times of high pressure system movement.

Also, there is some evidence that suggest that some people might be more prone to migraines and arthritic inflammation as high pressure systems begin to lesson, which can occur due to a sudden loss of pressure in joints, the sinuses and ear canals. Also, there has also been some anecdotal evidence to suggest that people might be more susceptible to stokes and lung problems as well.

It’s also been noted that similar results have been found when studying the effects of low pressure systems; which shouldn’t surprise anyone as air pressure changes in either direction stresses the body in ways that are still being uncovered.

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