Migraines are a common type of headache, affecting approximately one third of those who develop them. A migraine typically progresses through four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and postdrome.
Migraines result from changes in blood flow and brain chemistry, leading to widening or narrowing of your blood vessels, leading to various symptoms including visual disturbances (kaleidoscope or blind spots) as well as sensory sensitivities like sound and smell.
Avoiding Triggers
Avoiding triggers can be an effective treatment option for migraines, although it’s important to recognize that not all triggers are the same for everyone – for instance, not everyone’s migraine is set off by dairy or citrus fruits – though there are a few common triggers shared among many sufferers:
Foods containing MSG, chocolate, cured meats and nitrites; certain spices or strong scents like perfume or smoke; weather changes such as storms, high winds, rain or sudden temperature shifts are among many possible triggers; other environmental triggers may include fluorescent lighting (particularly flickering lights) or sound can also have an effect.
Other potential migraine triggers may include too much caffeine consumption, insufficient sleep or too little, hormonal shifts (like during menstruation) and hormonal changes. One way to identify personal migraine triggers is keeping a diary with details on when and where your headache began and for how long. Also be sure to write down whether any additional symptoms like aura or postdrome phase symptoms accompanied it.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Migraine attacks can be particularly painful when they strike during sleep, making it essential to establish a regular sleeping schedule in order to help avoid migraine attacks. Aim for about 7-9 hours of rest each night – though this amount may differ depending on age and hormones.
Keep in mind that migraines hate change. Consistency can help your brain feel at ease and decrease headache pain and frequency of migraine attacks. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even on weekends; hide clocks so they won’t interrupt sleep by providing anxiety-inducing stimuli such as staring clocks can bring.
Exercise can also help manage migraines by increasing the release of chemicals that block pain signals and relieving stress and anxiety that exacerbate headaches. When choosing an activity for migraine prevention, be sure to choose one you enjoy that meets your level of fitness.
Keeping a Diary
An account of your migraine attacks can help identify possible triggers and pinpoint locations, duration, and severity. Furthermore, keeping track of how often medication is being taken as well as their impact on daily life and work can all be helpful tools in managing migraine.
Your doctor may give you a diaries worksheet or headache diaries are available online that you can download and use. The goal is to record every detail possible about each headache attack: its day of occurrence, what precipitated it (e.g. weather conditions or food consumption), its trigger (such as skipping meals or stress) as well as when and how often its attacks happen.
Keep a diary for at least three months in order to detect trends over time, such as foods such as aged cheese or chocolate that trigger migraines in certain people while others experience similar side effects from alcohol consumption.
Talking to Your Doctor
Migraine pain is real, but there are steps you can take to lessen it. Combining medicine and healthy habits may prevent future migraine attacks from happening or help control any that do arise.
Your doctor will want to know about your frequency of migraine attacks, their symptoms and triggers as well as what makes them worse. Your best option would be seeing either a primary care physician or someone specialized in treating headaches such as neurologist.
Bring a list of symptoms and medications, including prescription, vitamins and supplements – be sure to include dosage details and frequency of use – when meeting with your physician.
Keep a migraine diary for yourself to track symptoms and record triggers as well as duration. Your medical provider can then use this data to develop an effective treatment plan tailored specifically to you.
