Migraines: How to overcome the pain and find relief

A headache of varying intensity can periodically bother a person of any age for many reasons. But the most difficult type of it is migraine, a disease that affects millions of people around the world and still cannot be cured. Read on to learn more about its causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Anna Cherednichenko

neurologist

• Author of the online course “Strong Nerves”

What are the types of headaches?

It is divided into primary and secondary.

You don’t need to look for the cause of the primary headache; it’s when the head hurts by itself. How does such pain occur? Due to certain mechanisms that are triggered in the brain, primarily in the trigeminal nervous system. This is the most common one — a tension headache, in which the head hurts on both sides. It occurs after a person is overexcited, has not slept, has not drunk enough water, or is simply overtired.

Migraine is the second most common type of primary headache and the most difficult because it takes a person away from the usual rhythm of life and may confine a person to bed for several days. With this disease, as a rule, one half of the head hurts, but it also happens that the whole head hurts. Migraines are believed to be evoked by biochemical processes in the brain.

Read more about its causes and treatment.

Cluster headaches are less common. It bothers men more often. It is a sudden pain behind the eye when the eye becomes red and tears flow from it. The cause of such pain might be disorders in the hypothalamus, the autonomic nervous system, or the trigeminal nerve.

Secondary pain is the one caused by another disease or condition. For example, during the autumn-winter period of exacerbation of viral infections, sinusitis, or runny nose, is frequently present, which might also evoke this ache. Also, secondary pain can occur due to a head injury or the abuse of painkillers. Therefore, if you have a severe headache for the first time, be sure to consult a doctor to find its cause and receive appropriate treatment.

«There are many causes of head pain: more than 200! But most often, people are bothered by migraines and tension headaches», said neurologist Hanna Cherednychenko.

A migraine is not just an ache in the head but a complex neurological condition, the causes of which are not precisely established. Unfortunately, it has not yet been finally clarified what leads to such sharp attacks of ache and what exactly happens in a person’s head during this condition. Scientists suspect that the nature of it is genetic: studies have shown that this happens more often in some families than others.

How to distinguish a severe headache from a migraine?

If you really have this condition, the following symptoms will indicate it:

• throbbing hurt, mainly on one side of the head,
• ache in the head and nausea / vomiting;
• impairment of working capacity;
• sensitivity to bright light, loud sounds, and smells.

Migraine with aura

Some people have a warning symptom — an aura, which occurs before or at the same time as a headache. An aura can manifest as visual disturbances, such as bright flashes of light, flickering, or blind spots, or other sensations, such as tingling in the face, arms, or legs, or numbness in half of the body.

What can be done to treat migraines at home?

Foremost, it is necessary to consult a doctor and create an individual plan for the treatment at home. Safe and effective medications should be prescribed by a doctor, and sometimes common pain relievers may help. This illness is usually treated with triptans, antiemetics, and analgesics.

Your doctor will suggest that you keep a diary in which you note when the attack started, so you can track the triggers that evoked it in you. Typically, it is overtiredness, lack of sleep, sleeping too long on the weekend, drinking alcoholic beverages, or severe stress.

How to quickly get rid of migraines?

Neurologist Hanna Cherednychenko advises doing the following:

• Go to a cool, dark, and quiet room.
• Lie in bed and cover yourself with a blanket.
• Drink plenty of water, as insufficient hydration also might be a trigger.

A cup of coffee can help some people, but for others, coffee, on the contrary, worsens the condition, so it is better not to start self-medication, but to immediately visit a doctor.

Migraine and headache prevention, in general, are lifestyle changes. In order for this not to occur, the doctor advises:

• sleep well, at least 8 hours a day;
• do not smoke, limit alcohol consumption;
• avoid stress as much as possible;
• drink at least 2 liters of water per day;
• eat a balanced diet, do not skip meals;
• maintain a sufficient level of physical activity: it has been proven that 20 minutes of sports 3 times a week significantly reduces the number of headache attacks.

Migraine is a difficult disease that requires proper treatment. To alleviate your condition and get rid of it, you need to identify and avoid triggers that provoke attacks, as well as lead a healthy lifestyle.

To treat this type of pain, use drug therapy, but only according to a specialist’s prescription! In cases of frequent or particularly severe migraine attacks, do not delay a visit to the doctor. Remember that health is the most valuable resource. Take care!