If you suffer from migraines during the summer, you may have something in common with many people who find that their migraines are aggravated by high temperatures and low barometric pressure.

Migraines are a common ailment affecting 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men in the US. These severe headaches may include other symptoms such as nausea, sensitivity to light, and even vomiting. Many things can trigger migraines, although researchers are not entirely sure of what causes migraines in the first place.

Some of these triggers include certain foods (such as foods containing monosodium glutamate — MSG), environmental factors such as loud noises and bright lights, stress, changes in hormone levels, and more. In addition, some of these triggers may aggravate an already existing migraine that you are experiencing.

Now, studies are showing that there is a link between weather conditions and severe migraines. Scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston studied over 7000 patients who came into the hospital complaining of severe headache or migraine. They recorded environmental factors experienced by the patients prior to their hospital visit, including air pollution levels, ambient temperature, barometric pressure and humidity. The results, published in the journal Neurology, confirmed what many other smaller studies had attempted to prove.

The researchers found that there was a distinct correlation between patients who had experienced high ambient temperatures in the 24 hours before their hospital visit, and a high risk of severe headache. In fact, the researchers found that on hot days, with each rise in temperature of 5 degrees centigrade, there was a 7.5 percent rise in risk of developing a severe headache. There was also an increased risk of headache associated with low barometric pressure (which often means wet weather and thunderstorms), though to a lesser degree.

The study shows that weather patterns can indeed influence our health. Migraine sufferers should consult their doctor as to what may be triggering their headaches. Some people appear to be more sensitive to weather changes than others. The Mayo Clinic recommends that patients who feel that their migraines are caused or worsened by weather conditions talk to their doctor about how to minimize weather effects.

You may also want to start keeping a journal of your migraine occurrences — when they happen, and the weather conditions at that time. This can help you to determine if your headaches may be affected by the weather. If so, you can try staying indoors during extremely hot, stormy or windy weather to see if that alleviates your headache.