We all are familiar with a headache – the pain spreads across both sides of the head and often has known causes. While a migraine is also a headache, it is usually concentrated on one side of your head. The condition is marked by throbbing pain which can be severe and debilitating. Let’s read through to know more about a migraine headache – its causes, symptoms, and the best home remedies that’ll help you overcome it.
Causes of Migraine Headache
Unlike headaches, migraine headaches do not have easily traceable reasons. People suffering from migraine have one or more trigger points. The causes of migraine headache include:
- Gender – As compared to men, women are 33% more likely to suffer from migraines.
- Hormonal Imbalance – Hormonal imbalance and shifts are one of the most common migraine reasons.
- Allergic Reaction – Every allergic reaction typically causes irritation and inflammation in the body. This can trigger a migraine headache.
- Genetics – Migraine headaches can run through a family.
- Environmental Factors – Changes in weather conditions, extreme heat, or prolonged exposure to sunlight are common migraine reasons.
- Lifestyle Habits – Chronic stress, certain foods and odour, and lack of sleep can trigger a migraine headache.
- Dehydration – Inadequate intake of water causes the body tissues to shrink to cut down water loss. This leads to headaches and migraine attacks.
Types of Migraine Headache
Migraine headaches are of two types:
- Migraine with aura – Migraine with aura is also known as classic migraine. The ‘aura’ includes visual symptoms, shapes, lines, or flashes that precedes migraine headache, usually marked as warning signals. There is a tingling sensation in the arms and legs. Migraine aura also affects smell, taste, speech, and touch.
- Migraine without aura – A migraine without aura is a headache without any visual or sensory changes. Thus, people experiencing migraine without aura will not experience any ‘aura’ symptoms.
Migraine Headache Symptoms
Besides throbbing headache, migraine sufferers experience the following symptoms:
- Generally one-sided headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Increased sensitivity to light, smell, and sound
- Extreme Fatigue
Stages or Phases of Migraine Headache
A migraine episode passes through four phases but not everyone experiences every phase. The phases include:
Stage 1 – Prodrome Phase
This is the pre-headache phase with painless symptoms like mood swings, food cravings, and aura phase.
Stage 2 – Aura Phase
The aura phase brings about sensory disturbances before or during a migraine attack. The phase is marked by slurred speech, blurred vision, and blind spots. People who suffer from migraine without aura do not experience these symptoms.
Stage 3 – Headache Phase
This is the typical headache phase. It is marked by a thumping and throbbing headache. Generally, migraine headaches are one-sided. The intensity of pain ranges from mild to severe. People will experience sensitivity to light, sound, and smell.
Stage 4 – Postdrome Phase
This is the last phase of the migraine headache. While the pain begins to subside, feelings of exhaustion, confusion, and weakness are predominant.
Migraine Treatment – Home Remedies
There is no specific cure for a migraine headache. While over-the-counter pain relievers help settle the pain, lifestyle changes help reduce other symptoms of migraine. But as migraine headache is often preceded by warning symptoms, preventing severe attacks through home remedies can be a great migraine cure. Some of the most effective home remedies for migraine headaches are:
1. Ice Pack
Putting an ice pack on the forehead, scalp, and neck gives instant relief from pain. As the frozen gel pack constricts the flow of blood to the area, the pain sensation reduces.
2. Caffeine
An ingredient found in coffee and tea, caffeine is an active stimulator. Its compounds lead to a sudden surge of energy, which provides relief from pain. Caffeine also allows better absorption of migraine drugs.
3. Magnesium
Magnesium, a mineral found in dark-green veggies, whole grains, and nuts, is known to prevent migraine attacks by altering the brain’s signalling wave which is responsible for the various aura symptoms in migraine with aura attacks. Regular intake of magnesium thus blocks the signals in the brain that trigger migraine with aura.
4. Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 deficiency is known to cause cell damage as it increases oxidative stress. This is related to the onset of a migraine attack. Regular intake of Vitamin B12 can reduce the risk of having a migraine headache by almost 80%.
5. Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is a great pain reliever. Inhaling the fumes of lavender essential oil or topical application of lavender oil on the temples can minimise the risk of having a migraine attack. Regular use of lavender oil also reduces the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.
6. Peppermint Oil
Menthol, the main compound in peppermint oil, is a great muscle relaxant and pain reliever. Topical application of peppermint oil helps relieve pain and ease the symptoms of stiff muscles and neck.
7. Ginger
Ginger is known to be a potent remedy for both migraine headache and nausea, a side-effect of severe migraine headache. You can massage diluted ginger oil into your temples, forehead, and back of the neck to reduce muscle stiffness. Take ginger with warm water to reduce nausea symptoms.
8. Water
One of the main trigger factors for a migraine attack is dehydration. As the levels of water in the body reduce, the tissues contract. Shrinking of the brain pulls it away from the skull, putting pressure on the nerves, resulting in pain. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day is thus a norm.
9. Butterbur Extract
Butterbur plant extract has great medicinal value. Butterbur extract made from the leaves and roots of the butterbur plant contains petasins, plant compounds having high anti-inflammatory, anti-spasm, and vasodilation properties. This helps prevent migraine attacks.
10. Feverfew Extract
Feverfew, an ornamental plant, is known for the treatment of fevers and migraines. Feverfew extract prepared from dried feverfew leaves contains parthenolide, a plant compound that helps provide relief from spasms in muscle tissues. This acts as a great migraine cure.
Lifestyle Changes and Supporting Therapies for Migraine Relief
A few lifestyle changes and assistance therapies can help provide relief from migraine. These include:
1. Exercising
Exercise during a migraine attack can hurt more. But exercising regularly can help prevent migraine attacks. Exercise also aids in the release of endorphins, chemicals that fight pain.
2. Sleep Pattern
Good sleep for 7-8 hours each night helps stave-off migraines. Also, maintaining a regular sleep-wake-up pattern, by sleeping and waking up at the same time, further cuts down the risk.
3. Yoga
Yoga, due to its slow, patterned movements and deep breathing exercises gets the heart pumping better. This reduces the risk of a migraine headache.
4. Acupuncture
Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese therapy, involves injecting very thin needles into parts of the skin usually near the nerves. This stimulates the nerves to release hormones that help reduce migraine pain.
5. Acupressure
The practice of applying pressure with fingers to specific points on the body provides relief from migraine symptoms. Pressure on specific body points stimulates the release of endorphins that help reduce the impact of pain.
6. Stress Management
Trying different stress management techniques like deep breathing exercises, music therapy, meditation, counselling sessions and progressive muscle techniques can bring down the risk of migraine.
7. Time Management
Failure to manage your time well can be a major cause of stress and migraine attack. Managing your time well using structured time management techniques can help bring down the risk significantly.
8. Dark Room therapy
Withdrawing yourself from exposure to bright light and loud noise can speed up your recovery from a migraine attack. Find a dark, quiet spot to stay alone for some time.
Conclusion
Although being a type of headache, the severity and duration of the migraine headache can leave you in a debilitating condition. You don’t just miss out on your favourite activities but the severe, thumping pain and other migraine symptoms can upset your life unproportionately.
Thankfully, each migraine attack is preceded by a few warning symptoms. Identifying your migraine reasons and taking appropriate steps can be great migraine relief. While over-the-counter pain relievers are the only migraine remedy once the episode is underway, easy home remedies and lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk of having a migraine attack. Alternative therapies can also help reduce the frequency and severity of each migraine attack. Thus, practising them regularly can provide migraine relief.
