Migraine is a type of headache with high pain intensity. A person can face severe throbbing pain with a pulsing sensation. Migraine pain usually appears on one side of your head. This type of headache is often accompanied by vomiting, sensitivity to light/sound, and nausea. Your migraine pain can last for several hours to days. Some people also face a few warning symptoms (aura) before actual migraine pain. You can use medications to reduce migraine pain. However, depending on medicines may make the condition worse. You can adopt prevention methods and home remedies to reduce migraine pain and recurrence.
Phases of migraine
Prodrome
People face the prodrome phase hours or a day before migraine headaches. About 60% of migraine patients notice these symptoms. Common prodrome symptoms are:
Fatigue
Sensitivity to light, sound, or smell
Bloating
Severe thirst
Mood changes
Constipation
Aura
These are nervous system-related symptoms. People get these aura symptoms about 5-20 minutes before a migraine attack. These symptoms are often related to vision.
Have tunnel vision
See black dot, flashes of light
Tingling or numbness
Unable to see
Ringing ears
Unable to taste or smell
Attack
A migraine attack starts with dull pain and grows into throbbing pain. The pain increases when a person is doing some physical work. The pain usually occurs on one side but can also affect your entire head. Most people feel nausea and vomiting during migraine attacks. In most cases, migraine attacks last for about 5 hours but sometimes a person feels pain for 2-3 days. Most migraine patients get this headache about twice or thrice a week.
Postdrome
Some people face postdrome symptoms after the attack phase.
Muscle pain
Weakness
Feeling wiped out
Food craving
Common causes for Migraine
There are no fixed causes behind migraine. But some problems in brain chemistry and genes can cause migraines. If any of the parents have migraines then their kids may face the same condition. Migraine starts when your overactive nerve cells signal and the trigeminal nerve gets triggered. Due to this, the body released serotonin and CGRP chemicals. Due to this, blood vessels of the brain get swollen and cause pain and inflammation.
Common risk factors for migraine
Gender
Gender plays a crucial role in migraine. Women are about 3 three times more prone to migraine than men.
Age
Usually, migraines start in teenage. In some people, migraine can start in their twenties or even in their thirties. Migraines get better in most women after the age of 50.
Genes
If one of the parents has a migraine then there is a 50% chance that his/her child will face the same condition. In case both parents have migraines, the chances of getting a migraine in a child increase to 75%.
Several medical conditions
Lots of medical conditions like depression, sleep disorder, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, etc can lead to migraine.
Common triggers for migraine
Hormone changes
Women are more likely to get migraines as they face hormonal changes a lot. The hormonal level changes during periods, pregnancy, after delivery, and menopause. Due to the changes, migraines get triggered easily.
Stress
When a person is under stress, the body releases brain chemicals that increase blood flow. Due to this blood vessels get swollen and cause migraine.
Caffeine
Lots of people drink coffee to get relief from headaches. It helps in reducing pain. But drinking too much coffee or excessive intake of caffeine can also trigger your migraine
Changes in weather
Strong winds, changes in barometric pressure, or altitude can trigger your migraine.
Medications
Vessels that can widen the blood vessels can trigger migraine attacks.
Change in sleeping pattern
Your migraine can trigger if you are not getting enough sleep.
Improper diet
Skipping meals is also a common migraine trigger.
Available treatment for migraine
Migraines can’t be cured permanently. However, you can prevent migraine triggers and ease the pain by using medications. The migraine treatment depends on age, the intensity of page, symptoms, etc.
Medications
Medications are used to reduce the intensity of pain. Some medications also help in preventing migraine recurrence. However, these medications won’t cure your migraine conditions. NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen are used to treat migraine with mild to moderate pain. Triptans such as eletriptan are prescribed when a person is getting migraine symptoms like nerve pain. Doctors often suggest antiemetics when a person is getting symptoms like nausea with migraines. There are also some prevention medications like antihypertensives, antidepressants, botox, and anticonvulsants that can prevent migraine triggers.
Dynamic medications
Depending on allopathic medications for a long time can cause harm to other body parts. Painkillers reduce the pain intensity and can cause lots of damage to the body. Dynamic medication can help in treating migraines. With migraines treatment Pennsylvania, your migraine pain intensity will reduce. These medications also prevent the recurrence of migraine. Dynamic medications are safe and do not cause any harmful side effects to the body.
Natural remedies to treat migraine
Avoid certain foods
Several food items can trigger your migraine pain. Avoid those items that can trigger your pain. Some common food items that can trigger migraines are beans, dry fruits, pickled food, food with nitrate, food with MSG, dairy products, chocolate, etc.
Regular exercises and Meditation
With regular exercise, all your body parts will function well. It helps to maintain the blood flow in your whole body. Meditation is good to release stress. 20 minutes of meditation every day can reduce the recurrence of migraine attacks.
Apply lavender or peppermint oil
Inhaling lavender oil can help to ease migraine pain. You can inhale it directly or mix it with other carrier oil. Apply a small amount of lavender oil to your temples when you get migraine pain. Some people also get relief with peppermint oil.
Ginger
Ginger is very good to reduce migraine pain. Cut a piece of raw ginger and put it in your mouth. Chew the ginger for some time. You can also drink ginger tea to ease the pain.
Add magnesium to your diet
Your migraine can trigger due to a deficiency of magnesium. Eat food items that are rich in magnesium like almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, sesame seeds, oatmeal, peanut butter, eggs, milk, etc.