MIGRAINE AND STRESS

A migraine can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on just one side of the head. It's often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours to days and can be so severe that the pain is disabling.

Warning symptoms known as aura may occur before or with the headache. These can include flashes of light, blind spots, or tingling on one side of the face or in your arm or leg.

Causes Though migraine causes aren't understood, genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role.

Migraines may be caused by changes in the brainstem and its interactions with the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway.

Imbalances in brain chemicals — including serotonin, which helps regulate pain in your nervous system — also may be involved. Researchers are still studying the role of serotonin in migraines.

Serotonin levels drop during migraine attacks. This may cause your trigeminal nerve to release substances called neuropeptides, which travel to your brain's outer covering (meninges). The result is migraine pain. Other neurotransmitters play a role in the pain of migraine, including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).

Migraine triggers A number of factors may trigger migraines, including: Hormonal changes in women. Fluctuations in estrogen seem to trigger headaches in many women. Women with a history of migraines often report headaches immediately before or during their periods, when they have a major drop in estrogen.

Others have an increased tendency to develop migraines during pregnancy or menopause.

Hormonal medications, such as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, also may worsen migraines. Some women, however, find their migraines occur less often when taking these medications.

Foods. Aged cheeses, salty foods and processed foods may trigger migraines. Skipping meals or fasting also can trigger attacks. Food additives. The sweetener aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods, may trigger migraines. Drinks. Alcohol, especially wine, and highly caffeinated beverages may trigger migraines. Stress. Stress at work or home can cause migraines. Sensory stimuli. Bright lights and sun glare can induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells — including perfume, paint thinner, secondhand smoke and others — can trigger migraines in some people. Changes in wake-sleep pattern. Missing sleep or getting too much sleep may trigger migraines in some people, as can jet lag. Physical factors. Intense physical exertion, including sexual activity, may provoke migraines. Changes in the environment. A change of weather or barometric pressure can prompt a migraine. Medications. Oral contraceptives and vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate migraines. Risk factors Several factors make you more prone to having migraines, including:

Family history. If you have a family member with migraines, then you have a good chance of developing them too. Age. Migraines can begin at any age, though the first often occurs during adolescence. Migraines tend to peak during your 30s, and gradually become less severe and less frequent in the following decades. Sex. Women are three times more likely to have migraines. Headaches tend to affect boys more than girls during childhood, but by the time of puberty and beyond, more girls are affected. Hormonal changes. If you are a woman who has migraines, you may find that your headaches begin just before or shortly after onset of menstruation.

Complications Sometimes your efforts to control your migraine pain cause problems, such as:

Abdominal problems. Certain pain relievers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), may cause abdominal pain, bleeding, ulcers and other complications, especially if taken in large doses or for a long period of time. Medication-overuse headaches. Taking over-the-counter or prescription headache medications more than 10 days a month for three months or in high doses may trigger serious medication-overuse headaches.

Migraine triggers A number of factors may trigger migraines, including:

Hormonal changes in women.==. Fluctuations in estrogen seem to trigger headaches in many women. Women with a history of migraines often report headaches immediately before or during their periods, when they have a major drop in estrogen.

Others have an increased tendency to develop migraines during pregnancy or menopause.

Hormonal medications, such as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, also may worsen migraines. Some women, however, find their migraines occur less often when taking these medications.

Foods.==> Aged cheeses, salty foods and processed foods may trigger migraines. Skipping meals or fasting also can trigger attacks. Food additives.===> The sweetener aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods, may trigger migraines. Drinks. Alcohol, especially wine, and highly caffeinated beverages may trigger migraines. Stress===>. Stress at work or home can cause migraines. Sensory stimuli. Bright lights and sun glare can induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells — including perfume, paint thinner, secondhand smoke and others — can trigger migraines in some people. Changes in wake-sleep pattern. Missing sleep or getting too much sleep may trigger migraines in some people, as can jet lag. Physical factors.==> Intense physical exertion, including sexual activity, may provoke migraines. Changes in the environment. A change of weather or barometric pressure can prompt a migraine. Medications. Oral contraceptives and vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate migraines. Risk factors Several factors make you more prone to having migraines, including:

Family history.==> If you have a family member with migraines, then you have a good chance of developing them too. Age.==> Migraines can begin at any age, though the first often occurs during adolescence. Migraines tend to peak during your 30s, and gradually become less severe and less frequent in the following decades. Sex. ==>Women are three times more likely to have migraines. Headaches tend to affect boys more than girls during childhood, but by the time of puberty and beyond, more girls are affected. Hormonal changes==>. If you are a woman who has migraines, you may find that your headaches begin just before or shortly after onset of menstruation.

They may also change during pregnancy or menopause. Migraines generally improve after menopause.

Some women report that migraine attacks begin during pregnancy, or their attacks worsen. For many, the attacks improved or didn't occur during later stages in the pregnancy. Migraines often return during the postpartum period.

Complications Sometimes your efforts to control your migraine pain cause problems, such as: Abdominal problems. Certain pain relievers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), may cause abdominal pain, bleeding, ulcers and other complications, especially if taken in large doses or for a long period of time. Medication-overuse headaches. Taking over-the-counter or prescription headache medications more than 10 days a month for three months or in high doses may trigger serious medication-overuse headaches.

Medication-overuse headaches occur when medications stop relieving pain and begin to cause headaches. You then use more pain medication, which continues the cycle.

Serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is a rare, potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when your body has too much of the nervous system chemical called serotonin.

REQUEST TO SEE JOYCE

#WERECARE #UWAZONECONCEPT