Pinpointing the Causes of Migraine Headaches
Migraine headaches can have a debilitating effect on your life. They can make you so miserable all you want to do is stay in bed. There are many different prescription drugs used to treat migraines as well as over the counter solutions. The best guess of scientists is that serotonin levels have something to do with the cause of migraines but they do not fully understand why and how this works. Research has shown that low serotonin levels and migraines often occur at the same time so they know there is a link between the two to some extent.
Many people experience what is called an “aura” before they get a migraine headache. These generally occur before what doctors call a classic migraine headache. Classic migraine headaches are accompanied by symptoms like visual issues like seeing spots or odd colors. These can be very disturbing.
Other symptoms that can indicate a migraine headache include increased sensitivity of the scalp and mood changes like irritability and sadness. You may experience these symptoms for up to 24 hours before you actually get the migraine headache. Often people who suffer from migraines will recognize these symptoms and know that a migraine will be coming on soon. Classic migraines can be very painful but thankfully are usually over quickly.
Common migraine headaches are more serious than classic migraines and last for a longer period of time. These headaches can make it difficult to do even the simple day to day things in your life. Doctors can prescribe medicines to help you feel less pain and help the headache go away faster. There are other things you can do when you have a common migraine including staying hydrated, getting enough rest, resting in a dark room, finding a quiet place to res, getting a scalp massage or giving yourself one and putting a cold cloth on your head. Often these headaches are the result of stress so avoiding stress is always a good idea. If you are stressed you can use relaxation techniques to help calm yourself down and relieve some of the stress.
It is thought that certain foods may increase the chances of you getting a migraine. Some doctors say that migraine sufferers should not drink red wine. They also say to avoid all processed meats, too much caffeine and aged or cultured dairy products. Your doctor can give you more information about how to change your diet if you experience migraine headaches.
Leave a Reply
Pages
- Available Headache Treatments
- Contact us
- Dealing with Hormonal Headaches
- Determining the Causes of Headaches
- Frequent Headaches Make Life More Difficult
- Headache Clinics: Help for People with Severe and Chronic Headaches
- Headache Medicines Available for Treating Headaches
- Learning About the Different Headache Types
- Pinpointing the Causes of Migraine Headaches
- What are Cluster Headaches and How are they Treated?