Mayo Clinic Minute: Weathering migraines

March, 13th, 2025

How and why does summer weather sometimes trigger these headaches?

“That is a great question. Patients ask me that all the time. We don’t have a great answer.”

For some people, extreme weather conditions may cause imbalances in brain chemicals, which eventually can lead to the severe throbbing pain of a migraine.

“A lot of people with migraines feel that sunlight glare is a trigger for migraine.”

Other weather triggers include high humidity, extreme heat and dry air. And neurologist Dr. Rashmi Halker Singh says these conditions may lead to another migraine creator.

“In the summertime, when it’s really hot outside, a lot of people forget to maintain adequate hydration. And dehydration can certainly be a risk for migraine attacks to happen.”

Dr. Halker Singh’s advice to people with migraines is to avoid extremes – in summer weather and everyday schedules.

“Be consistent with your eating habits; be consistent with your sleep. Sometimes skipping meals can be a migraine trigger. Sometimes not sleeping enough or sleeping too much can also be a trigger. So maintaining consistency with that is important.”