Migraine is a chronic neurological disease. Scientists and doctors are inclined to believe that the cause of the disease is the excessive activation of the trigeminal nerve, which occurs in response to various stimuli.
According to statistics, more than 25% of women and 10% of men aged 35-45 are faced with migraine for the first time – the most active period of life. The main symptom of the disease is a throbbing headache that occurs in response to various stimuli – bright light, strong sounds, movement. In this case, the pain persists for a long time – from 4 to 72 hours, depriving of strength and greatly reducing the quality of daily life. An attack can occur anywhere: on the street, on a date, or at a business meeting. Moreover, drugs do not always have an immediate effect.
Migraine symptoms
How to distinguish a migraine attack from a tension headache? Answer the following questions:
1) Is the pain sharp, throbbing?
2) Is it concentrated in one part of the head?
3) Light, sounds irritating?
4) Are you sick?
5) Does the pain increase with movement?
If you answered yes to these questions, it is most likely a migraine, not a tension headache.
A migraine attack develops in four stages:
- First of all, irritability and fatigue appear, for some, on the contrary, excessive activity.
- This is followed by an aura, a so-called change in the surrounding space, but not for everyone, but only for 20% of people. Flickering zigzag lines, black dots, or whole areas of vision appear before the eyes.
- Period of migraine pain. It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting.
- The attack subsides. At the same time, the person becomes lethargic.
With tension headache: the pain is always bilateral, not pulsating, but on the contrary of a compressive, encircling nature, and it does not increase with movement. The attack lasts 30 minutes to 48 hours and often resolves with pain relievers.
Such a headache often appears with hypertonicity of the neck muscles, for example, with an incorrect position at the desk. With constant emotional stress, as a result of vision problems.
Prevention and treatment of migraine attacks
For the relief of migraine attacks, nonspecific therapy agents are used today: combined analgesics, acetylsalicylic acid, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. And also special products, mainly from the group of triptans . If you feel that an attack is imminent, you cannot wait! Be sure to take the medication your doctor has prescribed and try to limit the factors that aggravate the attack as much as possible.
In order to reduce the number of attacks, it is important to learn to recognize the impending migraine.
Migraine provocateurs:
- food products – bananas, chocolate, smoked meats, red wine, citrus fruits. It is also not recommended to starve and skip meals;
- lack, as well as excess (!) sleep;
- increased physical activity, stress;
- smoking;
- strong aromas.
It must be remembered that changes in the weather, the phase of the menstrual cycle can also lead to the development of migraines.
Be healthy!