A migraine is a severe, painful headache that can be preceded or accompanied by sensory warning signs such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light and sound.
The excruciating pain that migraines bring can last for hours or even days. Migraine is a common problem affecting millions Africans.
What are migraine headaches?
The exact cause of migraine headaches is unknown; it is thought to be due to abnormal brain activity causing a temporary alteration in the nerve signals, chemicals and blood flow in the brain.
Migraine headaches can be very debilitating. They are more common in women than men, and 3% of people have chronic migraines where they experience symptoms for half the month for six months.
What triggers migraine headaches?
Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches, but many cannot.
Potential migraine triggers include:
Allergies and allergic reactions
Bright lights,
loud noises,
flickering lights,
smoky rooms,
temperature changes,
strong smells and certain odors or perfumes
Physical or emotional stress, tension,
anxiety,
depression,
excitement.
Physical triggers such as:
tiredness,
jet lag,
exercise,
Changes in sleep patterns or irregular sleep,
Smoking or exposure to smoke,
Skipping meals or fasting causing low blood sugar,
Dehydration,
Alcohol,
Hormonal triggers such as:
menstrual cycle fluctuations, birth control pills,
menopause,
Tension headaches,
Foods containing tyramine (red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans),
monosodium glutamate (MSG), or nitrates (like bacon, hot dogs and salami),
Other foods such as chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, banana, citrus, onions, dairy products and fermented or pickled foods,
Medication such as sleeping tablets, the contraceptive pill, hormone replacement therapy.
N.B- Triggers do not always cause migraines and avoiding triggers does not always prevent migraines.
Fast facts on migraines
Here are some key points about migraines..
The cause of migraines is still largely unknown.
Migraines can be preceded by an aura of sensory disturbances followed by a severe one-sided headache.
Approximately 12% of people get migraine headaches.
Migraine tends to affect people between 15-55 years of age.
Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches such as allergies, light and stress.
Some people get a warning prodrome, preceding the onset of a migraine headache.
Many migraine sufferers can prevent a full-blown attack by recognizing and acting upon the warning signs.
Over-the-counter medications can eliminate or reduce pain.
Specific medications can help some sufferers.
People who suffer from severe attacks can take preventative medicines.
Migraine is commonly misdiagnosed as tension-type headache or sinus headache.
Is there an association between obesity and migraines?
A higher percentage of obese people have episodic (occasional) migraines compared to individuals with a healthy body weight, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported in the journal Neurology.
DID YOU KNOW?
Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.
Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.
It only takes 7 pounds of pressure to rip your ear off.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Keep your face to the sunshine and you can never see the shadow. – Helen Keller
I stumbled across this quote and it has really changed my perspective about life. We often run away from life's challenges and troubles, that's why we keep failing (shadows). But when we summon courage to face the sunshine (our fears and dangers), definitely the shadow disappears and success is imminent.
In other words, the darkest hour is closest to dawn, at the peak of our problems lies the solution, often times many of us give up on the verge of a breakthrough. Have a wonderful day reader.
Tomorrow, we shall conclude this episode on Migraines, the treatment and medications to use. I bet you don't wanna miss that! Stay healthy always.
The excruciating pain that migraines bring can last for hours or even days. Migraine is a common problem affecting millions Africans.
What are migraine headaches?
The exact cause of migraine headaches is unknown; it is thought to be due to abnormal brain activity causing a temporary alteration in the nerve signals, chemicals and blood flow in the brain.
Migraine headaches can be very debilitating. They are more common in women than men, and 3% of people have chronic migraines where they experience symptoms for half the month for six months.
What triggers migraine headaches?
Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches, but many cannot.
Potential migraine triggers include:
Allergies and allergic reactions
Bright lights,
loud noises,
flickering lights,
smoky rooms,
temperature changes,
strong smells and certain odors or perfumes
Physical or emotional stress, tension,
anxiety,
depression,
excitement.
Physical triggers such as:
tiredness,
jet lag,
exercise,
Changes in sleep patterns or irregular sleep,
Smoking or exposure to smoke,
Skipping meals or fasting causing low blood sugar,
Dehydration,
Alcohol,
Hormonal triggers such as:
menstrual cycle fluctuations, birth control pills,
menopause,
Tension headaches,
Foods containing tyramine (red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans),
monosodium glutamate (MSG), or nitrates (like bacon, hot dogs and salami),
Other foods such as chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, banana, citrus, onions, dairy products and fermented or pickled foods,
Medication such as sleeping tablets, the contraceptive pill, hormone replacement therapy.
N.B- Triggers do not always cause migraines and avoiding triggers does not always prevent migraines.
Fast facts on migraines
Here are some key points about migraines..
The cause of migraines is still largely unknown.
Migraines can be preceded by an aura of sensory disturbances followed by a severe one-sided headache.
Approximately 12% of people get migraine headaches.
Migraine tends to affect people between 15-55 years of age.
Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches such as allergies, light and stress.
Some people get a warning prodrome, preceding the onset of a migraine headache.
Many migraine sufferers can prevent a full-blown attack by recognizing and acting upon the warning signs.
Over-the-counter medications can eliminate or reduce pain.
Specific medications can help some sufferers.
People who suffer from severe attacks can take preventative medicines.
Migraine is commonly misdiagnosed as tension-type headache or sinus headache.
Is there an association between obesity and migraines?
A higher percentage of obese people have episodic (occasional) migraines compared to individuals with a healthy body weight, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported in the journal Neurology.
DID YOU KNOW?
Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.
Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.
It only takes 7 pounds of pressure to rip your ear off.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Keep your face to the sunshine and you can never see the shadow. – Helen Keller
I stumbled across this quote and it has really changed my perspective about life. We often run away from life's challenges and troubles, that's why we keep failing (shadows). But when we summon courage to face the sunshine (our fears and dangers), definitely the shadow disappears and success is imminent.
In other words, the darkest hour is closest to dawn, at the peak of our problems lies the solution, often times many of us give up on the verge of a breakthrough. Have a wonderful day reader.
Tomorrow, we shall conclude this episode on Migraines, the treatment and medications to use. I bet you don't wanna miss that! Stay healthy always.
Oluwatimilehin Oke Email: healthertainment@gmail.com Whatsapp: +234-703-798-6229 BB PIN: 563D9C56 BB CHANNEL: C001C7A18 Twitter & Instagram: @timi0301
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