Know Symptoms of Migraine and What Triggers It

Around 1 in 7 people suffer from migraine. An average person may spend about 5% of their life experiencing a migraine attack, and anxiety and depression are much more common in people with migraines than in healthy people. Luckily, scientists and researchers have found some of the triggers that trigger a migraine attack. An active person can easily tackle these triggers and can effectively prevent it. 

What is Migraine?

In this hectic and stressful life, most of the people complain of headaches. This problem takes the form of a migraine when it happens again and again. This causes unbearable sharp pain in one side of the head. Sometimes this pain gets cured within minutes and sometimes this pain persists for hours. As soon as you move from a normal state to a very tense environment, your headache and blood pressure become high. When this happens, you understand that you are suffering from migraine. In such a situation, instead of taking any pain killer on your own, get a medical examination done. Otherwise, you can also get rid of this pain by adopting some home remedies.

Causes of Migraine

This disease can happen to any person at any age, the pain caused by it happens at any time, it has no time, this pain arises suddenly and stops suddenly. People who have this disease say that this pain is felt more in the morning and evening, the effect of this disease can also weaken the eyesight. Some causes of Migraine are:

• high blood pressure
• take too much stress
• lack of sleep
• due to changes in weather
• overuse of painkillers

Symptoms of Migraine

There are 4 phases of Migraine. It’s not necessary that everyone who has a migraine have to go through all these four phases. Many people experience different symptoms of migraine. 

• Prodrome
• Aura
• Attack
• Postdrome

Prodrome

You might notice tiny changes in your body one or two days before a migraine, which could be a warning sign of an approaching it. These includes:

• Mood Swings
• Retention of fluid
• Stiffness in Neck
• Constipation
• Cravings for Foods

Aura

It is possible for some people to experience an aura before or during a migraine. Auras are temporary symptoms of the neurological system that can be reversed. They are typically visual in nature, although they can also contain other types of disturbances. In most cases, each symptom begins gradually, builds up over several minutes, and can persist for up to 60 minutes total time.

It includes:

• Loss of Vision
• Weakness
• Numbness in a part of the body
• Difficulty while speaking

Attack

People have more headaches with it and it lasts to many hours. It’s not one of those headaches that you took one medicine or something and got better. 

It includes:

• Fatigue
• Lack of concentrations
• Sensitive to light and weather

Post-drome

People having Migraine attacks are drained at that point. So, that part lasts longer than even a headache sometimes. It’s very important for a doctor– whether primary care or neurologist– to eliminate other causes of headaches or the patient comes directly to see you it’s very crucial that a doctor is not dealing with anything else triggering the headache. So, sometimes Doctors do some investigations before they label them migraines.

What Triggers to Migraine?

These were a few of the common migraines triggers to avoid if you are suffering from migraines.

• Stress

In a study, it was found that 50 and 80 percent of people living with migraine report that their attacks are linked to stress. Some people specifically experience migraine after a stressful incident, and some also experience a new attack during a stressful incident.

If you want to prevent it, you have to control stress levels. People who don’t know how to manage stress well can have many other health issues as well like stomach pain, sleeping problems, illness, and depression. There are various stress-relieving techniques such as – Yoga, Meditation, time-out techniques that can help your stress levels from rising. 

• Lack of sleep 

Lack of sleep is one of the most common factors related to this and is often cited as a trigger for acute attacks of migraine. You’re more likely to suffer migraines if your sleep schedule is irregular, and you’re also more likely to experience anxiety and depression.

Sleep is essential for the brain because it restores essential nutrients, eliminates waste, and integrates memory. Go to the bed early, follow sleep hygiene, avoid electronic devices in bed, avoid unplanned daytime naps. 

• Hunger and Thirst 

According to research, missing meals is usually associated with the start of migraine. Fasting is also a migraine trigger. It is unknown how this occurs, although it is most likely related to lowering blood glucose levels. Migraine sufferers are urged not to skip meals.

Even dehydration has been proposed as a probable migraine trigger due to the hypothalamus’s involvement – the brain’s thirst and appetite center. In a short survey of migraineurs, it was discovered that “inadequate hydration intake” was associated with headache start in approximately 40% of respondents. Eat at regular intervals.

Drink plenty of water and if you’re working always carry a water bottle and lunch. A good meal schedule goes a long way in ensuring you prevent this pain.

• Foods and Food Additives

Some foods also are reported as possible triggers for an attack of migraine. A 2008 Brazilian study found that in people with migraines – certain foods in their Diet were one of the most frequently reported triggers. Chocolate, caffeine & alcohol were the most common substances associated with migraine attacks.

If you’re suffering from this pain, it’s best to avoid these eating foods. Other foods frequently associated with migraine include cheese and salami fermented, cured, and pickled foods, which contain large amounts of amino acid.

• Alcohol and Caffeinated Beverages

Alcohol triggered migraine in about one-third of people. According to a Brazilian study, Consumption of Alchohol is the most commonly reported trigger for migraine. Some experts have indicated that consuming an excessive amount of caffeine might cause migraines, and they recommend that you monitor your caffeine intake, which includes coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks. The sudden burst of energy that you get from these beverages is actually caffeine playing its role. 

People with migraines must strictly avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages. 

These were a few of the common triggers to avoid if you are suffering from migraines.

When to see a doctor

Each person’s migraine can have little variations. There are different kinds of migraine, including that can present like stroke-like symptoms. So they can have sensory symptoms or they can have some tingling numbness or weakness. If you have any severe symptoms of migraine then make an appointment with a brain doctor or a Neurologist. The doctor will advise therapy and medications according to the symptoms of migraine.