Migraines are severe, chronic headaches that can significantly disrupt life. Migraine episodes tend to come in “clusters”, lasting weeks or months before ending suddenly and leaving no pain behind.
Doctors don’t understand exactly why migraines occur, but they have identified certain triggers as possible causes. These include bright lights or glare, food additives like nitrates and monosodium glutamate (MSG), as well as hormonal fluctuations during menstruation that can aggravate symptoms.
Avoiding Triggers
Triggering factors of migraine vary for each individual and can be hard to pin down. What we think of as triggers may actually just be early symptoms (called prodrome). A migraine diary is an effective way to keep track of possible triggers; you might list foods eaten, when migraine attacks occurred and any symptoms you experienced before it started. Stress management techniques like biofeedback, relaxation therapy or meditation may also prove useful in pinpointing potential migraine sources.
Some common triggers for migraine attacks are sleep changes, stress levels, menstruation periods for women and weather changes. Foods like aged cheeses, chocolate, citrus fruit and alcohol may also cause headaches for some individuals. Hormonal changes during menstrual cycles or pregnancy may also elicit migraine attacks in some female sufferers – other symptoms include light and glare sensitivity, loud noises, strong smells and touch being among them – and they typically last from several hours up to several days long with pain only manifesting on one side of their heads.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Migraine pain can be made worse by poor sleep quality. To ensure maximum restful slumber, aim to go to bed and rise at similar times each day; napping should also be limited as this could disrupt the quality of restful slumber.
Stressful situations may also exacerbate migraine symptoms for some individuals, adding another source of tension and strain to an already stressful situation. Relaxation exercises and physical activity may help lower stress levels; seeking advice from counselors or joining support groups could also provide valuable relief.
Treatments for migraine focus on managing symptoms and preventing future attacks. Acute treatments include pain-relieving medications like NSAIDs (acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen and diclofenac potassium) as well as first-line headache drugs flunarizine, amitriptyline topiramate candesartan.
There is evidence to support several nonpharmacological therapies as effective preventives of migraine, such as feverfew and butterbur. Other possible interventions could include riboflavin, magnesium and coenzyme Q10. Exercise, acupuncture and relaxation techniques may also prove useful in managing migraines.
Keeping a Diary
Maintaining a migraine or headache diary (also referred to as a “headache log”) can be an effective way of understanding triggers and warning signs, and helping prevent and manage headaches. You can keep a migraine/headache diary in various formats: physical notebooks/journals; apps designed specifically for headache tracking; even apps which remind you to update daily!
Keep a journal to record when and how your migraine symptoms begin and end, what activities were taking place when an episode occurred, what you ate that day and the amount of water consumed; doing this may reveal patterns such as when you may be eating foods known to trigger migraine attacks, or whether stress might be an influence in these attacks.
Recent study participants reported that their doctors appreciate the objective data gleaned from patients who keep headache logs, particularly around frequency and severity of migraine episodes and whether acute medications worked. With more accurate information, more personalized and targeted care can be offered.
Talk to Your Doctor
Communication between you and your doctor is the key to finding an appropriate migraine treatment solution. That means making an appointment specifically to discuss migraines rather than trying to include it during an exam for another issue, or discussing it during routine physical/dental appointments.
Your doctor will require specific details regarding your migraines, such as their frequency, symptoms and timing. In addition to sharing personal and family medical histories with them, it’s also helpful to inform them if any relatives also suffer from migraine. It can often run in families.
Relaxation exercises such as deep diaphragmatic breathing can help ease tension associated with migraines. Massage and acupuncture may also be effective treatments; having a consistent schedule for sleep and eating habits such as no screens before bed and eating at set times each day may reduce migraines by aligning your body with its natural rhythms.
