Factors Affecting Migraine Headaches
In this article we shall explore some of the less known causes of migraine headaches. While stress and lack of sleep can contribute to this, these other factors are just as valid and may be the sole cause in certain cases.
Researchers have shown that the onset of migraine headaches can be induced by certain foods. This is especially worsened by the fact that the modern diet has a ton of artificial additives and condiments that are foreign to the human body. These can all trigger a migraine headache. Some of these common food additives can be caffeine found in coffee or tea, msg used to increase taste for food, and even diary products like milk.
If you are currently suffering from migraines and suspect that it may be food-induced, you can sort out which foods are affecting you by following a few simple steps. First, start your diet with only a few simple foods. Each week, introduce in new foods that you suspect to be the triggers. After a few months, you should be able to tell which foods are causing you the migraine headaches.
Migraine headaches can also be caused by the environment. In a clinical study, a total of forty eight people were tested for this. The test subjects were ask to go on a diet which excluded any diary products. More than sixty percent of the subjects showed that the migraines actually were reduced or gone after removing these diary products from their diet.
There are also anecdote evidence that people who after having cut out milk or any diary products from their diet, reported a marked improvement in their conditions. Some of them even have allegedly reported their migraine headaches disappearing completely.
Some researchers argue that it may not be the dairy products itself that is the cause, but rather how fresh it is or how much bacteria there is in it. This would often be attributed to lactose intolerance and microbe-causing diary products instead.
While the truth may lie somewhere in-between, there is a definite link between consuming diary products like milk to migraine headache attacks.
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What Causes Migraine Headaches?
The symptoms of a migraine attacks usually occur on a side of the head and can cause nausea, seeing things and other signs. They usually happen in the morning and can last as long as several days.
While the exact causes of migraine headaches have not been pinned down yet, there are some commonly agreed possible causes for it. Lack of sleep is often found in most migraine sufferers. Other factors can be genetic, food-induced or stress at the workplace. The immediate physical explanation for the migraine pain is linked to a restricted flow of blood in the head.
It must be noted that a migraine headache is different from a regular headache. A headache is just one of the signs from people who have migraines. There are even causes where migraine sufferers do not experience headaches. Pre-warning signs to indicate an oncoming migraine headaches can be, but not limited to, seeing ‘auras’ , lines that are zigzag and even losing one’s ability to see for a short period. Mood swings are known to manifest just before the attacks.
According to research, the data shows that globally, about twenty to thirty percent of the population has migraine headaches. The data further breaks down and shows that women are more prone to it. Younger people experience it more often than elderly people. The frequency of such migraine headache attacks can occur from only once or twice a month to as many as ten times monthly.
Racial-wise, demographics points out that Westerners experience a higher number of migraine headaches as compared to Asians. Lastly, as much as fifty percent of all affected people have a family background history of migraine sufferers.
As you can see, there are many factors that cause these migraine headaches. In order to recognize which are the actual factors for your migraine, a notebook should be kept to take note of what triggers your migraine headaches. Is it due to weather changes, what you just ate or stress?
Some ways to reduce the risk or frequency of such painful episodes can be getting enough exercise weekly, having a good selection of healthy food and minimizing stress as practically as possible. Having plenty of rest and sleep is important as well.
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Origins Of Migraine Headaches
Do you know that the original meaning of the word migraine is a Greek word which means “half of head”? This point to the fact that people who suffer from migraine headaches usually experience the pain on one side of their head. Other signs that come with the pain include tiredness, sensations of vomiting and very sensitive to sudden noises, lights and scents.
Statistically speaking, it is the female population who tend to suffer from such migraine headaches. The ratio is about 3:1 for females to males’ sufferers. There is also a heredity factor involved, as having a family history of migraine sufferers increases your risk as well.
While a normal headache can occur in any area of the head, a migraine headache tends to be stronger and persists longer. The pain can be very intense and there is often a need to rest and lie down in order to recover from it.
Though these migraine attacks often come without warning, there are certain subtle signs one can detect before it comes. Some of these can be sudden changes in your mood, a particular like or dislike for certain food for no reason, yawning too much or having problems remembering things. You may feel lethargic as well.
In the more extreme cases, people getting migraine headaches may even start to hallucinate and momentarily lose their speech capability.
After the migraine episode, people will report a sense of relief, though some may be drained out from the experience and need several days to recover from it.
As certain foods can also trigger migraine headaches, sufferers should avoid certain foods that they know will affect them. They can be certain classes of diary products, selected kinds of meats like corned beef or hotdogs, condiments like MSG or vinegar, etc. Fruits can also contribute to these attacks. So if you are sensitive to it, try to avoid fruits like avocado, banana or beans. But first check with your doctor on your specific cause for migraine headaches.
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