Lightning can cause headaches

The number of headache and migraine cases increased markedly in the days when lightning appeared.

Professor Vincent Martin, a University of Cincinnati researcher in the US, and his son Geoffrey Martin, a medical student, conducted a study to understand the relationship between lightning and the risk of headaches. They asked a completely healthy group of volunteers to record headaches and migraines for a period of 3 to 6 months. Then they collated the data with the weather conditions of the day, Telegraph reported.

The results showed that in the days when lightning appeared, the number of headache cases increased by 24%, while the number of migraine cases increased by 23% in areas with a radius of 40km from lightning.

In areas where lightning occurs frequently, the number of headaches increases by 31%, while the number of migraines increases by 28% after lightning strikes.

Martin and his father thought that lightning caused electromagnetic waves and that electromagnetic waves could be the culprit causing headaches and migraines. In addition, lightning increases the amount of ozone and other air pollutants.

'As the amount of air pollutants increases, the number of fungal spores in the air also increases. Mushroom spores can cause migraine syndrome , 'the researchers said.

Even so, Professor Martin admitted that he has not found the exact mechanism that makes lightning increase the risk of headaches. He hopes to find this mechanism in further studies.