Barometric pressure is the amount of air above sea level pressing down on you. The more barometric pressure, the heavier the air seems to weigh against your skin.

by David Stone

Assorted Ideas, Large & Small

How does barometric pressure affect your body?

For example, if you are at sea level and you travel up into the mountains, your body will think that you are at a higher altitude because there is less barometric pressure or air pressure around you. Because of this, your body will release more red blood cells to cope with the lower oxygen levels in the air.

This is why some people get altitude sickness when they travel up into high altitudes like mountains and other places where there is less barometric pressure.

What about the weather?

Barometric pressure also affects weather patterns and can predict what kind of weather you will have. If you have low barometric pressure, it usually means that there is a storm coming and rain or snow might be expected in the area.

The higher the barometric pressure, the better weather conditions usually are – however, this can depend on what type of weather an area normally has. For example, if a place usually has a lot of rain, it will usually have low barometric pressure. You can use the barometric pressure to help you plan for what kind of weather you might expect in an area before you go there.

Feeling gloomy or high”

Mentally, lower air pressure makes us feel sad and depressed because our bodies are missing the oxygen that we need from breathing in normally. Higher barometric pressure makes us feel happier and more energetic because of the extra oxygen that is reaching our lungs.