7 Things a Migraine patient should take care of
Life can be made easier if a migraine patient starts identifying and recording when did he/she have bad headaches.
It can help them to recognize the triggering factor, avoid it and stay away from debilitating headaches.
Following are the key points that every migraine patient should bear in mind:
1. Get adequate sleep- Migraine patients get headache if they wake up early or if they cannot sleep for the hours they are used to. The next morning, they wake up with a headache.
2. Don’t skip meals- The worst trigger of migraine is skipping meals. If in the morning you do not get breakfast at the usual time, you may start experiencing heaviness over head.
3. Don’t oversleep- We have seen many migraine patients complain of headaches of weekends. There is no specific reason behind it except for they have slept in the morning for longer than their usual working days .
4. Excessive lights- Don’t let someone turn on the lights of the room all of a sudden during morning. This can trigger a headache in migraine patient. Also avoid too much LED lights at your work place.
5. Avoid excessive travelling- Migraine patients don’t go well with travelling. Long journey can cause headaches, so it is better to avoid or else keep munching during the travel.
6. Avoid sunlight- Moving out in sunlight is the commonly found cause of Migraine. So, if you are a migraine patient avoid exposure to sunlight.
7. Avoid strong fragrances- Migraine patients should avoid having strong perfumes, sprays, deo, room fresheners around them
Is Migraine related to digestion?
It is the most commonly heard statement from people in India, “Gas sir par chad gyi hai”. Earlier doctors would not agree to it and in fact argue with the patients “Batao raasta konsa hai”.
But there have been recent European studies which say that Migraine is connected to gastro intestinal symptoms. So now doctors have started considering Migraine as acidity of brain.
When gastro intestinal symptoms are treated, the episodes of headaches automatically decrease.
Recent years have seen number of studies on gut brain axis which shows there is a direct correlation between the digestion and brain.
Ayurveda on the other hand from the very beginning has said migraine is connected to the gut. According to Ayurveda, Migraine is largely associated with imbalance of Pitta in the body. When Pitta aggravates in the body, it dilates blood vessels and creates pressure on nervous system leading to Migraine. The macro component of Pitta lies in the stomach which is called Jatharagni.
At our centre we have seen many patients of IBS and Migraine. They suffer from both the disorders together. And with treatment, they start experiencing relief in both the problems. You must have
noticed that some type of food triggers the bad headache. Cheese, chocolates, curd, butter milk are seen as worst triggers in some patients. This again suggests that digestion has lot to do with throbs in your head.
What makes migraine different and enduring from a simple headache is that along with pain its onset is seen with nausea, vomiting in many cases. This again draws a connection between Migraine and digestion.
Pain killers just mute notifications of pain to your body. So, if you want to get cured of Migraine, get cured of your indigestion first.
Does migraine affect children?
Migraine can affect anyone irrespective of age, sex, gender.
It does affect children, teen aged adults and young people. In fact, whenever I ask a chronic patient of Migraine since how long he has been suffering from it, the common reply I get is “When I was in class IV, V, VII.” But due to ignorance or lack of awareness it is an overlooked problem in children.
The headaches in children are often disbursed as excuses in some families. All the parents do is get the eyes checked but they do not know it can be migraine. During teen age, there is an uprise of hormones and this hormonal upswing can be the primary reason for Migraine.
Moreover, you must have seen the anger bursts, frustrations, throwing tantrums is common in children during these years. This is manifestation of aggravated Pitta in the body which is again a causative factor for Migraine.
Nowadays, children are getting used to ultra-modern lifestyle. Cheese and chocolates are the things they like binge eating which are worst triggers of Migraine. They go to bed late and have to get up early for their classes.
It is highly likely, that they are deprived of adequate sleep which is the foremost reason of getting headaches.
It is easier to treat migraine in its early stage so if your child complaints of headache, do give a call here to understand if this is Migraine.