Stress can trigger migraine

• April 20, 2024

According to the World Health Organization, migraine It is one of the diseases that most hinders the possibility of having a normal rhythm of life. Without adequate therapy, the work has to stop for hours or even days, due to the pain and side effects.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the United States (NINDS, for its acronym in English), migraine is caused by a abnormal brain activity, triggered by a large number of factors such as stress, certain foods or environmental changes. However, the exact chain of events remains unclear.

Until a few years ago, scientists considered that migraines were due to changes in the blood vessels inside the brain ; however, most medical experts now believe that the attack actually begins in the brain itself, where the activity of various nerve and chemical pathways of the same organ is involved. The changes affect the blood flow in the brain and surrounding tissues.

Characteristics of migraine and women

According to experts from NINDSIt is a common type of headache that can occur with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light. In many people, a throbbing pain is felt only on one side of the head and, in some cases, warning signs (such as vision disturbances) occur, called aura , before the real and terrible headache begins.

Migraines they can be hereditary and they occur more frequently in women than in men. Women may suffer fewer migraines when they are pregnant and, in fact, most have fewer attacks during the last two trimesters of pregnancy.

Migraine prevention

There is no specific cure for migraines. What should be done is to prevent the symptoms by avoiding or altering the triggers. A good way to identify these factors is to keep a diary in which you record when the headaches occur, how strong they are, what you have eaten or how much you have slept.

In the case of women, they should note at what time of their menstrual cycle they are at the time of migraine. Specialists recommend that when symptoms occur should be treated immediately and so the headache will probably be less intense.

When migraine symptoms appear it is good to drink water to avoid dehydration, especially if you have vomited; Rest in a quiet, dark room, and place a cool cloth over your head. There are many medications available for people with migraine that only a specialist doctor can prescribe. Self-medication is ruled out.