What triggers migraine?

What triggers migraine ?

It is different for everyone.

Below are some of the more common triggers: -

Hormonal changes

This includes changes during puberty, menstruation,pregnancy, menopause, and changes due to birth control pills or HRT (hormone replacement therapy)

Changes in your daily schedule

Oversleeping, not getting enough sleep, skipping a meal, a rest after a hectic schedule

Weather

Particularly rapidly dropping barometric pressure, but also rising pressure, temperature or humidity. Walking into a headwind can trigger migraines in some.

Foods

Foods high in tyramine are believed to be among the worst migraine triggers. This would include things such as aged cheese and deli meats. There are many foods that could trigger migraine. Caffeine,chocolate, bananas,MSG (found in things such as canned stews, soya sauce, and powdered soups), and citrus fruits.

Environment

This could include cigarette smoke, perfumes, or fresh paint.Many other lists of triggers have been compiled.

source from American Council for Headache Education.

Natural Migraine Treatment #6

Exercise!

It really is the wave of the future! Seriously though, just a little bit of exercise each day will be a great benefit to your health, and will help in reducing severity and frequency of your migraines. But, you do not need to become an absolute exercise junky. just do something every morning or afternoon. Try walking around your block as fast as you can.Lifting weights, as devious as it sounds, is also an excellent way to benefit your health, increase your metabolism etc.

If you were one of the lucky MigraineSolution customers to receive the "Strength Training" bonus e-Book, you will know all about it already!

Immidiate Relief Tip#5

Put a cold compress on your forehead and your feet in a container of warm water.

What causes Migraine?

What causes migraine?
Certain factors have been identified which can causes or trigger attacks in certain people:
- Stress or relief of stress
- Lack of food or infrequent meals.
- Certain food content, including products containing M.S.G., caffeine, tyramine or alcohol.
- Fatigue or overtiredness.
- Irregular sleep patterns - un-planned naps, shift workers.
- Hormone factors - monthly periods, the pill, HRT or the menopause.
- Extreme emotions - furious, grief etc.
- Physical activity.
- Surroundings factors - noisy, bright or flickering lights, strong perfumes, hot stuffy surroundings
- Climate - strong chill factor, extreme heat or cold.
It could be one or more triggers but when several factors happen at the same time then it can lead an attack.
The above facts could be helpful but being too obsessive might accelerate occurance.
We occasionally build-up the resistance over time but it could be your genes that make the attack more frequent or vulnarable.Women are likely to be sufferers than men as they have hormonal factors involve - periods, menopause etc

Natural Migraine Treatment Tip # 5

Ginger - Try it. When you're feeling nause or sick, try just sucking and chewing a thin slice of ginger. How about ginger tea with lots of honey. It's much nicer.

Immediate Relief Tip # 4
Put something cold on the back of your neck, such as a cold, wet cloth; or alternate hot and cold cloths where the pain is.

Types of Migraine

Types of migraines : Classic, Common, and Others

The Classic Migraine
Classic Migraine is often followed with 'aura'. Aura begins about half an hour before the actual pain begins. Most Aura are visual sensory illusions, such as jagged bands of light obscuring vision, shimmering light around the edges of objects, hearing and smell senses, could also be affected.

The Common Migraine
Common migraines are simply those without aura. About 20% of sufferers experience aura. Most people bypass the aura phase.

Rebound Headaches
Common occurance for rebound headaches are when pain medication are overused. The body become resistant to medication, so to be more effective, larger doses are required, leading to even increase resistance. This can result to more frequent or a worsening headaches. It is more likely to happen, if medication for treatment or prevention of headaches are used three or more times a week.

Other Types of Migraines
Ocular: During an ocular migraine, the blood vessels of the eyes, rather than those of the skull or brainstem, spasm and instead of pain, the sufferer becomes aware of lights in the peripheral vision. Often jagged and pastel colored in nature, the light disturbance intensifies, and enlarges until it is centered in the eye. Ocular migraines typically fade away after about fifteen to twenty minutes. Some people report a mild headache after this experience, while others simply feel fatigued.

Ophthalmoplegic: Like ocular migraines, an ophthalmoplegic migraine is centered in the eye. In this form, however, pain is definitely present, and is often accompanied by vomiting. As the headache progresses, the muscles responsible for eye movement are temporarily paralyzed, and the eyelid assumes a droopy appearance. The eyelid may remain droopy for weeks afterwards.

The Headache-Free Type: In this type, aura occurs without an actual headache. It only presents itself in individuals with a history of migraine attacks.

Basilar Artery: This specific type involves the basilar artery in the brainstem, and can cause pain, vertigo, speech and vision problems, and poor coordination. Children are more likely to experience this type than adults.

Carotidynia: Also known as "facial migraine," or "lower-half headache," this type causes pain in the jaw and neck regions. Depending on the individual, the pain may be dull and aching, or sharp and piercing, and is often accompanied by tenderness of the carotid artery. More common in the elderly population than other groups, carotidynia may last for hours, and often occurs more than once a week.

Status: This type is characterized by long-lasting and severe pain. The pain often lasts over three days, and hospitalization for pain relief may be necessary.

Natural Migraine Treatment tip #4

Lavender

Get yourself some lavender oil and rub it on your temples (sides of your head!) This should help relieve some of the pain of your headache. It could als helped with the nausea.

Immediate Relief Tip #3

Avoid bright or flashing light.