7 surprising triggers of migraine

The pinching pain of migraine makes one inactive and lazy. While mostly the pain lasts for 48 hours, at times, it can stay even longer.

Migraine is often preceded or accompanied by sensory warning signs such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraine headaches result from a combination of blood vessel enlargement and the release of chemicals from nerve fibres that coil around those blood vessels.

During the headache, an artery enlarges that is located on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple (temporal artery). This causes a release of chemicals that cause inflammation, pain and further enlargement of the artery.

For a patient of migraine, it is very important to identify what triggers the pain to avoid future attacks. Following are some of the surprising triggers:

Stress
Long and working stressful hours that lead to change in eating habits and sleeping hours are one of the major causes of migraine. People who are overworked suffer from attacks more frequently than the rest. It is always advisable to take ample rest and sleep after a hard day at work. A hot bath and a cup of lemon tea will relax you down and will release the tiredness of the body. Always remember that the idea is to go to sleep with a light head.

Weather
Roaming in the sun triggers a migraine attack quicker than anything else. Other than that, drops in barometric pressure, high temperatures and high humidity are some weather conditions that figure in the list of common culprits. Though avoiding the sun is the best way, but if you must go out then do not forget to use an umbrella. And if carrying an umbrella is too fussy for you, then, make it a point to use a scarf to cover your head.

Caffeine withdrawal
Recent studies suggest that people who are addicted to caffeine and reduce the amount of their daily intake to even two cups a day are prone to migraine attacks. The headache occurs several hours after caffeine consumption and is due to caffeine withdrawal. It is always advisable to bring the consumption down gradually and not at one go.

Loud music
Listening to music on loud volumes for a really long time is one of the major causes of migraine attacks. The high decibels may lead to a thumping pain which lasts for around 72 hours or more. Keep it low to avoid an attack.

Reactive hypoglycemia
High consumption of simple consumption like sugar and pasta can cause migraine. The body starts to produce extra insulin which breaks down the sugar. In return, it causes the blood sugar levels to drop very low. This rise and drop of blood sugar leads to severe headaches.

Oversleeping
Sleeping for more than nine hours a day also triggers migraine attacks. Working people tend to sleep less throughout the week and over sleep during the weekends. As their body gets used to a certain hours of sleep every day, a sudden increase in the hours disturbs the routine. It results in fatigue, body ache and severe headache.

An empty stomach
Going without food for hours leads to gastritis and headache. Skipping breakfast is a common habit and a bad one at that. Make sure to start your day with fruits and cereals and lots of water.



thanks:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/