Rain, Rain, Go Away
You can feel it coming long before the first raindrop hits the ground. The sky turns heavy, the air feels thick, and your body begins to protest. For those of us with traumatic brain injury (TBI), approaching storm systems and rain fronts are more than just weather — they’re reliable triggers for symptom flares.
Headaches intensify. Fatigue becomes crushing. Dizziness spins harder. Brain fog thickens. Old aches flare up. Even mood and sleep suffer. Many of us now track barometric pressure forecasts as carefully as our daily symptoms.
“It Feels Like Rain in My Bones”
You’ve probably heard people say this — especially those with arthritis or old injuries. They claim they can “feel” the rain coming in their joints and bones. For years, I thought it was just an old wives’ tale. Now, with a brain injury, I understand it completely.
The Science Behind It:
The main trigger is a drop in barometric pressure (the weight of the atmosphere) that typically occurs before rain or storms. When external pressure decreases:
Tissues, muscles, and joints expand slightly because there’s less pressure pushing on them from the outside.
This expansion puts additional stress on nerves, inflamed tissues, and sensitive structures.
In people with arthritis or prior injuries, exposed nerves or scarred tissue become even more sensitive to these shifts, causing pain and stiffness.
For those of us with traumatic brain injury, this effect is often amplified. An injured brain has more difficulty regulating internal pressure, blood flow, inflammation, and the autonomic nervous system. The same barometric drop that makes joints ache can also:
Disrupt intracranial pressure balance → worsening headaches and brain fog
Affect cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery → increasing dizziness and fatigue
Irritate the vestibular system → intensifying vertigo and balance problems
Heighten overall nerve sensitivity → making everything feel worse
In short, I now understand what people mean by “rain in their bones” — and with TBI, it often feels like rain in the brain too.
What It Feels Like in Real Life
In the hours or day before a storm:
Crushing fatigue that hits earlier than usual
Intensifying or new headaches
Increased dizziness or “off” balance
Heavier brain fog and slower thinking
Heightened sensitivity to light, sound, or movement
Aching joints or old injury sites
Mood dips or irritability
It’s frustrating because the symptoms often arrive before any visible rain. You feel “storm sick” while everyone else is just commenting on the cloudy day. Then, the rain hits and it becomes clear, oh that is right, at least there is an explanation for it being worse today.
Managing Weather-Related Flares
We can’t control the weather, but we can prepare:
Monitor barometric pressure apps or forecasts
Build in extra rest and pacing on high-risk days
Stay well hydrated and use strategies that help with headaches and autonomic symptoms
Minimize other triggers (bright lights, noise, dehydration)
Work with your doctor on preventive approaches if flares are severe
I encounter in many different support groups this same lived experience of TBI survivors. If rain, storms, or pressure changes make your TBI symptoms significantly worse, this is a real physiological response — not “in your head” in the dismissive sense. Your injured brain and nervous system are simply more vulnerable to these environmental shifts. But in a world of unpredictable symptoms, it is comforting when we can learn at least some predictable triggers and work toward mitigating what we can in response to it for those times even though when the rain stops, the brain injury still remains.
The next time you hear someone say they can feel rain in their bones, you’ll understand it on a deeper level. And on those hard, heavy-weather days, be extra gentle with yourself. The storm always passes — both outside and inside your body.
