6 Ways to Help Prevent Migraines
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What is Migraine?
A migraine is a real, medical condition that involves a genetic sensitivity of your brain and nerves. Researches believe that each migraine attack consists of a series of events. These include:
* Nerves Stimulations in your brain,* The inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels on the surface of your brain,
* And a change in the way your brain processes pain.
How to prevent migraines?
You can help prevent migraines with healthy lifestyle habits. Maintain consistent eating, sleeping and exercise schedules. It's also important that you learn, and then avoid, your migraine triggers.
1- Avoid Triggers. Identifying and then avoiding the triggers is the best thing you can do. See at the bottom for a complete list of triggers.
2- Get regular exercise. Exercise reduces tension, a common migraine trigger. Make sure to warm up slowly. Intense physical activity can cause headaches.
3- Lower your stress level. Stress can cause or aggravate migraines. Try meditation, biofeedback, or join a support group.
4- Maintain a daily routine. Getting the sleep you need(7 to 8 hours a night for most adults), and eating a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables can ward off migraines.
5- Quit smoking and caffeine. Smoking can cause headaches or make them worse.
If you can't quit completely those items containing caffeine, then substitute them with those labeled as caffeine free. Such as caffeine free soda and caffeine free coffee. Me personally, like so much the soda. So I drink caffeine free diet soda.
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6- Reduce the effects of estrogen.If you are a woman and estrogen triggers or worsens you headaches. Talk to your doctor about avoiding or reducing those medication containing estrogen, such as birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.
Food and Beverage Triggers
* Aged cheese
* Alcoholic beverages, especially red wine
* Artificial sweeteners
* Food additives such as nitrates, found in hot dogs, bologna and salami
* Caffeine
* Fermented, pickled or marinate foods
* Chocolate
* Cultured dairy products
* Seasoned salt
* Citrus fruits
* Certain vegetables, such as avocados, pea pods, lima beans and onions
* Beans
* Nuts and Peanut butter
* Raisins
* Yeast containing foods, such as breads and doughnuts
In my personal case the chocolate is the only food trigger.
But I quit caffeine because last year I found a lump on my breast. I thought I had cancer. I was wrong, thanks God, but I found out that caffeine as the smoking can trigger cancer. If you want to learn more about breast cancer information visit my page:
http://www.vicky-breastcancerinformation.blogspot.com
and to see my personal story you can visit:
http://www.unsatisfiedbutthankful.blogspot.com
Enviromental and Lifestyle Triggers:
* Tobacco smoke
* Bright or fluorescent lights
* Sunlight
* Intense physical activity (including sexual)
* Chemical smells
* Strong or unusual odors
* Loud noise
* Stress
* Missing meals
* Menstrual Period
* Fatigue
* Changes in weather or altitude
* Sleep disturbances
* Hormonal changes
You are most likely to have migraines if you are:
* Between the ages of 15 and 55
* You are a female
* You have a family history of migraines
Migraine Symptoms:
* An intense throbbing headache.
* Pain on one or both sides of your head.
* Nausea or vomiting
* Visual disturbances, such as blind spots or blurry vision.
* Pain made worse by physical activity
* Light headedness and dizziness
* Stuffy nose
* Fluid retention
* Numbness
They are 2 types of migraine medications:
1- Pain relieving medications. Helps to relieve pain once it's started. Taken at the first sign of a migraine.
2- Preventive medications. Daily medicines to help reduce the frequency of migraines.
Talk to your doctor about what medication is better for you.
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One problem with your post is that caffeine can actually HELP a migraine. One symptom of a migraines is the restriction of cappilaries. Caffeine relaxes cappilaries, so for many of us, it is one of the things that actually relieves a migraine headache. Not everything associated with caffeine is bad. Part of the problem I think, is that everyone who has had a bad headache automatically thinks that they have a migraine. Caffeine can stimulate regular headaches and make them worse, but it is one of the best home remedies for true migraines
Dawn I understand what you said and I can say I'm one of them. But not everyone is the same and some times we fix something without caring for other things.
I'm addicted to soda and chocolate and for years never put attention to what consequences this could bring me. No until a few years ago I found a lump on my breast. To make a long story short, I found out that the caffeine is the number one cause of breast cancer in women.
So I don't drink soda with caffeine anymore but because as you mentioned caffeine relaxes CAPILLARIES, I have a bottle of migraine pills that the main ingredient is caffeine and I only drinks them when is necessary.
Oh! Something else, usually people that needs caffeine to fix the migraine are people that consume a high level of caffeine daily and when for some reason they stop consuming the caffeine the migraine begin to happens. No everyone but the majority.
That's why I mention the chocolate is the only food that triggers my migrane, because caffeine for me is a fix. The main trigger for my migrane is my Paranasal Sinus.
I am also one of the Caffine driven migraine people. BUT it comes on soemtimes when I haven't had enough caffine. Also I was wondering I have had 3 really bad ones since I had my son one a day.. I can not get them to pass. My Migraine Aura is Numbness in the arms then trough my whole body, blury vision, can't speak or form sentinces and my whole neck and jaw are tense and clenched. I really enjoy a cold cloth on my forhead as well as one on the back of my neck. Advil Migrane is amazing to get you home. If you take it when you feel it coming on and need to get home. It will subside the pain (Not the Aura) so that you can make it!!
I do enjoy the caffine but some days it is not the solution and it is only because we comsume so much Caffine that our bodys are requesting more and that is why we are in the pain in the first place... Darn Coffee!!!
Hi everybody. I just learned that one of the side effects of giving up cafeine is migrane. So if you are planing to quit prepare your self.
Oh! I found a coffee subtitute for you guys that love coffee. I purchased it and tried it because is a herbal tea with different flavors. So I though will not taste like coffee but it is the same taste and smell.
The website is www.teeccino.com. It is perfect for whom ever love coffee and want to quit cafeine.
I'm not buying it for me no more because I can't even stand the smell of coffee but my sister in law loves it. I did prefer the Mocha and the Hazelnut. My first try was the vanilla one because I love vanilla but I didn't like it at all. I even mixed the hazelnut with the mocha and I could drink it again. But for me is not a thing I can drink every day because like I said, I don't like coffee.
I'm a guy and I know that girls usually get them so don't make me feel out of place when I write this. What I have done when I get a migrain is actually do my regular daily routine. Physical activity such as walking helped me too. Drinking alot of water is the best to do. Then meditate about 30 minutes a day actually takes away your stress. Don't let migraines stop your life because I don't. Listening to music also calms me down. My doctor prescribed daily medication and I can say that it has weakened the pain of my migraines. When I have a migraine the medication that really works is Excederin. So go buy that. Hope this helps.(:
Hi Aaron, Thanks for the input. I'm also using Excedrin when my pain is out of control and in less than 30 minutes is gone. I guess the caffeine content helps.
Hi Ken82, thank you for sharing. I haven't tried any of the medications you mentioned but let see if someone that have tried them could share some information with us. I hope you are feeling better.
cutlyn 4 years ago
i used to get migraines often... i wear glasses permanently and the time i had constant migraines was because of my eyes. i was not able to get a check up from the doctor and she said the grades in my lenses had increased. so thats what triggered it everyday. there were times that i just stay in bed because the headache never stops. but its all over now. other triggers my neurologist told me to keep away also is coffee, cheese, sodas and chocolates... thanks for the added information. what causes those foods to trigger migraines anyway?