What Triggers Migraine? 5 Ways To Regulate Throbbing Headache

Migraine: Do you have episodes of throbbing pain in your head? Is it accompanied by a feeling of nausea? There will be no surprise if that turns out to be a migraine. These are more than just ‘bad headaches’

Migraine: Do you have episodes of shooting pain in your head? Is it accompanied by a feeling of nausea? There will be no surprise if that turns out to be a migraine. These are more than just “bad headaches.” It is a neurological condition that causes debilitating headaches accompanied by nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, numbness, sensitivity to light, etc. It can affect people of any age. It is usually a pain on one side of the head, but it can also cause pain on both sides from continued movement. Pain this severe can last from hours to days, and if it increases, it can even make daily activities of life difficult. For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs before or with the headache. An aura can include visual disturbances, such as flashing lights or blind spots, or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of the face or in an arm or leg, and slurred speech.

Technically, there are four stages of a migraine, but not everyone necessarily goes through that.

Prodrome: Symptoms that start a day or two before the headache is called the prodrome phase. You may experience fatigue, stiff neck, mood swings, irritability, hyperactivity.

Aura: Migraine aura usually comes after the prodrome stage where one may experience problems with vision, speech movement, etc. One may experience fatigue, temporary loss of vision, slurred speech, sensitivity to lights, a pricking sensation with needles or pins.

Stroke: A migraine usually lasts from 4 to 72 hours if left untreated. The frequency with which migraines occur varies from person to person. Migraines can occur infrequently or occur several times a month.

Post-drome: After a migraine attack, you may feel drained, confused, and exhausted for up to a day. Some people report feeling euphoric. Sudden movement of the head can briefly trigger the pain again.

Migraine triggers

Research has not yet identified a definitive cause behind migraine, but there could be certain triggers that lead to it.

• Hormonal changes
• excessive caffeine intake
• extreme heat condition
• Bright light
• Changes in sleep pattern
• Too much stress
• Too much alcohol and smoking
• certain foods

Ways to prevent it

As mentioned, there is no definitive causality behind migraine, but rather certain situations that can trigger it. If one is aware of the circumstances in which one is likely to experience a severe headache, it is best to avoid or mitigate that situation on some level.

• Healthy diet: Eating a healthy, nutrient-dense diet is extremely important. It is the preventive measure of reference for any medical condition. Also, there are certain foods that can cause a headache, so try to avoid them.
• regular exercise: Another important but cliché measure is to maintain a fit body. Regular body fitness or yoga are important to keep the metabolism going.
• Mitigate stress: Stress is one of the main causes of migraine. One must learn to regulate stressful situations to avoid escalating into intense pain.
• Practice meditation: Practicing relaxing techniques such as meditation, yoga is a good way to keep the body in shape and calm the brain and nerves.
• Do not skip meals, sleep well: These two things are also important to keep in mind. Working on an empty stomach and having a poor sleep schedule can also cause headaches.
• Be aware of sensory stimuli: One must know what can trigger your migraine. If there is bright light, loud noise you’d better avoid those places.

While migraine is becoming a common condition, there is no research on the definitive causes behind it, only anecdotal claims of cause and effect.