The atmosphere is a dynamic shell in which changes are constantly taking place - both seasonal and daily. A person who has been living in the same area for a long time, as a rule, does not feel these changes, since the body knows how to adapt to them in a timely manner. Therefore, weather changes, except extreme ones, practically do not affect the well-being of a healthy population.
But there is a category of weather-sensitive people on whom atmospheric pressure has a very tangible effect. Those who suffer from chronic diseases, especially those associated with the nervous and cardiovascular systems, also endure weather changes hard. Both categories do not feel only the pressure characteristic of the region, and this is not necessarily normal atmospheric pressure. The latter, incidentally, is not so often found in nature. It is believed that this is the force with which the atmospheric column presses on a unit area at a geographical latitude of 45 degrees and a height of 0 meters (sea level). For normal atmospheric pressure, 760 mm Hg is taken.
With height, this value decreases, and there is a special barometric formula that allows you to calculate the pressure for any point, knowing its height. For example, for Moscow, with an average height of 156 meters, the value is 746 mm. This is the norm for a given area, but by no means normal atmospheric pressure - these concepts need to be distinguished.
Staying in conditions of high pressure, you can not notice any changes, since it differs little from normal. Only with an excessively high value, changes begin to appear: breathing becomes rare, but deeper, the sense of smell is slightly dull, hearing is muffled and the voice is muffled, dry mucous membranes and a slight numbness of the skin. But all these signs are relatively easily tolerated.
More unfavorable are periods of a sharp change in pressure - compression (increase) and especially decompression (decrease to normal). With increasing pressure, the amount of gases dissolved in the blood increases, and with a rapid transition back to a lower value, an excess of these gases (mainly nitrogen) accumulates in the blood. Gas bubbles clog blood vessels, causing many diseases. Therefore, the slower these changes occur, the better the human body adapts to them.
The influence of atmospheric pressure was felt by everyone who overcame tangible elevations. In the mountains after the 2500 meters mark, an unacclimatized person feels weakness due to oxygen starvation. The breathing quickens and deepens, heart contractions quicken, blood pressure decreases . All this is the effect of altitude, and, as a result, low pressure, causing such a painful condition as hypoxia or mountain sickness. This phenomenon can be dealt with by going through acclimatization and accustoming the body to new conditions. It is noteworthy that mountain peoples do not feel unwell, living their whole lives at altitudes of 2000 meters or more - for them, reduced pressure is the norm.
But it’s not necessary to go to the mountains or get into extreme conditions. Pressure drops can be quite painful in your hometown, especially for people with poor health. You need to be prepared for this. When forecasting a significant deterioration in the weather, it is desirable to reduce physical activity, not to panic and try to ensure peace. If adaptation usually proceeds difficult, it is better to take the remedy recommended by the doctor.
Also, one should not forget that normal atmospheric pressure is not at all a climatic norm in any locality. For each region, depending on the altitude, the characteristic pressure will be different.