Sometimes it seems as if we all get migraine at the same time. “It’s in the air”, people sometimes say. In this blog I take a closer look at the effect of solar storms on our nervous system and migraine.
What is a solar storm?
A solar storm is a massive eruption of charged particles and energy from the sun. When these particles reach the Earth, they can seriously disrupt the Earth’s magnetic field. The result? Spectacular northern lights, but also disruptions to technology (think of GPS, satellites and power grids) and, yes, an impact on our health, including migraine.
Electromagnetic induction: lightning bolts in your brain
During a solar storm, lightning-fast changes in the Earth’s magnetic field occur. Your body, and especially your brain, consists partly of fluids and ions: excellent conductors of electricity. Changing magnetic fields generate small electrical currents in our tissue.
These small currents temporarily disrupt the electrical signalling between your nerve cells. In other words: communication in your brain falters, nerve signals can fire in an uncoordinated way, and you sometimes feel that directly as mental restlessness, fatigue or headache.
Effect on electrolytes
The magnetic field of a solar storm can affect the “little channels” (ion channels) in your brain cells, which are responsible for the balance of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and calcium. If this balance is disturbed, your neuronal network is thrown off balance.
That is not a trivial detail: a disturbance increases the chance that your neurons go “into alarm” too easily, firing unnaturally fast and in sync. This can lead to a notorious phenomenon: cortical spreading depression, a slowly rolling wave of nerve shutdown across the cerebral cortex, described as the “big bang” of a migraine attack.
Practical advice
Tips to stay in balance or get back into balance:
Plenty of magnesium! Magnesium lowers the chance that your neurons go into alarm. The right form is important!
Keep your hydration stable and sufficient with good-quality mineral water. Plan moments to drink a larger amount at once.
Top up electrolytes consistently. Be careful with sugary sports drinks, though, because swings in glucose throw your electrolytes even further off balance.
Why so sensitive?
Not everyone gets migraine from solar storms. The neural disruption from solar storms is one factor on top of all your other factors. Becoming less sensitive to external influences is therefore a matter of clearing, as far as needed, the factors that are already present in you. That way your body becomes more robust and is less easily thrown off balance.
Find out which factors apply to you with the personal online Building Block Analysis.
Want to understand more about migraine? Read all about it in HEADSTRONG.
References
- Panagopoulos, Dimitris J. Mechanism of Ion Forced-Oscillation and Voltage-Gated Ion Channel Dysfunction by Polarized and Coherent Electromagnetic Fields. (Taylor & Francis, 2021).
- Bertagna, Federico, et al. Effects of electromagnetic fields on neuronal ion channels: a systematic review. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2021;1499(1):82-103. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14597.
- Zilli Vieira, Carolina Leticia, et al. Geomagnetic disturbances driven by solar activity enhance total and cardiovascular mortality risk in 263 U.S. cities. Environ Health. 2019;18(1):83. doi: 10.1186/s12940-019-0516-0.
- Okuma, Hirohisa, et al. Examination of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure related to migraine. Springerplus. 2015;4:790.
- Gaisenok, Oleg, et al. The Influence of Geomagnetic Storms on the Risks of Developing Myocardial Infarction, Acute Coronary Syndrome, and Stroke: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Med Phys. 2025;50(1):8-13. doi: 10.4103/jmp.jmp_122_24.
