It’s a cool, crisp autumn morning and as your family prepares for a weekend outing, you know you’ll be unable to join them. Instead, you’ll be lying down in your darkened bedroom, waiting for your migraine to ease. For millions this is a familiar scenario. The American Center For Headache Education puts this figure at 29.5 million in America alone. Although there is no known cure for migraines, there are certain precautions you can take to prevent and lessen the symptoms.
Migraines are chronic headaches, which usually appear in childhood or the start of adulthood. They are seen more in women than men, although both genders can claim a fair number of sufferers. Symptoms are usually severe and if untreated, can last from a few hours up to three days, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. The pain may start out as a dull throbbing pain confined to one side of the head, or may affect both sides. This may worsen as the hours progress and with exposure to light, sound or physical activity, until the patient has no option but to lie down in a darkened room and wait for it to pass.
There are various migraine classifications. More commonly seen are the "common" migraines or the "aura" migraines. In the former, there is no aura; in the latter, people suffering from it will experience flashes of light or vision changes and/or pins and needles in their arms and legs. In either case, people who are about to have a migraine attack may experience what is known as "prodrome" in advance. This is a sense of premonition which may include one or more of the following symptoms: depression, a feeling of elation, deep thirst or cravings for sweets and lethargy or drowsiness.
While the actual cause of migraines is unknown, genetics and lifestyle are thought to play a role in it. There are a number of both internal and external factors which may trigger a migraine attack including:
- Hormonal changes in women
- Stress
- Sensory stimuli such as bright sunshine or strong smells
- Consumption of certain foods such as foods with nitrates, monosodium glutamate, tyramine (aged cheese, nuts, liver and most processed food to name a few) and aspartame
- Change in sleep patterns
- Change in weather
- Medications
You may also be more prone to get visited by migraines if you have a family history of migraines, if you are female and if you are younger than 40. Most migraine usually target people 15-55 years and taper off as the individual grows older.
In a lot of instances migraines are left untreated, when it fact visiting a doctor may help. Before your visit, keeping a migraine diary to note the number of times during a week/month and the times of day your migraines begin will also help. If you have a family history, if you are on medication, if you are experiencing stress, lack of sleep etc., these should also be noted and discussed.
Migraine medications can be of two types: preventive and pain-relieving. The former are to be taken regularly, often on a daily basis. In fact, more than 50 percent of people on preventive medication will experience a reduction of migraines, but it’s a very small amount that actually undergoes this treatment. You may be a good candidate for this treatment if you experience migraines more than twice a month, with auras and which last for longer periods despite medication. Preventive medication, despite its name, will not necessarily eliminate your headaches completely, but will make them bearable. In some instances, you may suffer serious side-effects and these possibilities need to be discussed in advance with your medical practitioner.
For some, pain-relieving medications go a long way in calming down a migraine attack and may include Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), Triptans, Ergot and Opiates to name a few. Apart from NSAIDS’s such as ibuprofen, all drugs should be taken only with a prescription and when your symptoms first start. Delaying the medication may result in a less effective treatment and longer periods of pain. You may need to avoid these drugs if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
In addition to drugs, a change in a lifestyle can go a long way in helping you reduce the frequency with which you experience migraine attacks, as well as the intensity by which you experience them. Some lifestyle changes include: avoiding known triggers such as certain foods, regulating sleep-wake patterns, limiting alcohol and caffeine, regular physical activity in moderation, stress reducing techniques including Pilates, yoga, meditation etc. For some people, Biofeedback has been shown to help. This involves monitoring and controlling your body’s response to stress by learning certain techniques such as lowering your heart-rate, stabilizing your breathing etc.
You may not understand the cause of your migraine episodes or prevent them completely, but you can with medication and a lifestyle change take control of the attacks, lessen their frequency and enjoy greater pain-free periods of time.
