A migraine is a common type of headache that causes pain in half of the head and affects about 1 in 10 people, with young females most likely to suffer. If you are one of them, you’ll know that the symptoms can be severe and knock you out of action for up to several days at a time.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at what a migraine is, why it happens and what you can do to cope. So let’s jump in!
The Symptoms of A migraine
During a migraine, there is severe, throbbing pain that is usually localised on one side of the head and can last for a few hours or several days. Unlike a normal headache, you may notice additional symptoms if you have a migraine, such as:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Changes in vision before the pain, known as aura
- Sensitivity to light, sound and smells
- Tingling or numbness of the face, hands or feet
- Dizziness
How often you experience symptoms of migraines can vary a lot from person to person. Some people notice symptoms once or twice a year, whereas others are affected much more frequently, such as several times a week.
What Causes Migraine?
Migraine is thought to be caused by swelling of blood vessels near the brain. This leads to more blood pumping through the vessels and a spasm that causes a throbbing sensation in the area.
The reason why some people tend to have more sensitive blood vessel and are more likely to be affected isn’t known.
Migraines tend to run in families, so if your mother or another family member is affected, you are more likely to suffer from migraines too.
Females are also three times more likely to be affected than males, possibly due to the role of female sex hormones in causing them. Many women who experience migraines notice that they tend to occur just before or after their menstrual period, which may be due to the reduced levels of oestrogren in the body at this time.
Diet and Lifestyle Factors
What you do each day can also affect how likely you are to have a migraine, especially if you are someone who suffers from them.
Stress is a big trigger factor for migraine. In particular, people who work or live in very stressful environments often notice symptoms when they finally have time to relax. This is so common that it is given its own name: weekend migraines.
Emotional overload from stress, excitement or fatigue can also trigger a migraine. Getting too little or too much sleep can also increase the risk of getting a migraine.
Exposure to heat, light, noise or chemicals may be a trigger for migraine. For example, looking at bright or flickering lights or listening to loud music may be to blame.
There are also several dietary factors that may trigger a migraine, including skipping meals and eating certain foods such as:
- Cheese
- Chocolate
- Red wine
- Citrus fruits
- Tomatoes
- Food additives (e.g. monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrate, tyramine)
Recognize and Avoid Triggers
There is no easy cure for migraines, although there are several things that you can do to decrease the frequency of them and the severity of symptoms.
Firstly, it’s important for you to start keeping track of your symptoms and the diet and lifestyle factors that might be triggering migraine. A good way to do this is by keeping a headache diary so that you can start to see patterns and avoid things that tend to trigger migraines for you.
Once you are more aware of which things that you do or eat are linked to causing migraine, it’s easier for you to avoid the trigger factors and reduce the frequency.
Relief During a Migraine
When you experience the symptoms of a migraine coming on, it is best to act as soon as possible. Find a quiet, dark, cool room where you can lie down and try to relax. Staying hydrated is important and drinking one litre of water over 20 minutes can often help. Sleeping is also helpful and some people who experience migraine find that they are able to “sleep off” the symptoms.
Taking over-the-counter pain relief medication such as paracetamol or aspirin can sometimes help to relieve the pain.
However, if you find that the pain relief is not enough, there are other options available if you talk to your doctor about your symptoms. They may be able to prescribe medications to reverse the dilation of the blood vessels in the brain that cause migraine and reduce the risk of symptoms. Additionally, they may prescribe medications to help with nausea and vomiting if you are affected.
There are many more options available to migraine sufferers now, with the newer triptans to relieve attacks, and a host of preventers to cut the incidence of attacks and Botox injections to reduce the number of attacks as well.
There are also several other options that may help to prevent or manage migraines. For example, some people find relief from modified diets, acupuncture, yoga, meditation and other relaxation techniques.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to know more about migraines and the different strategies to cope with symptoms, we’ll be happy to help you at Inverell Pharmacy in Byron Street (next to Telstra). Simply stop by for a chat with one of our pharmacists for more information, or give us a call on 02 67223 146.
Inverell Pharmacy – your locally owned and operated pharmacy with 5 Pharmacists to Assist and Advise you.