Do you get headaches or migraines often? How do you relieve them? A recent study showed that India, China, the United States of America and Indonesia had the highest incidents of migraines and headaches and that most of them took over the counter painkillers to relieve them. Is this the same case with you? Well, it is better to prevent these pains than treat them. Understanding why you get migraines and or headaches often and learning how to prevent them is better than relieving them using OTC painkillers.
What is the difference between a migraine and a headache?
A migraine is a headache that usually causes a throbbing or pulsing sensation on one side of the head. These aches are usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Some people usually get a warning symptom known as an aura which occurs before or with a headache. An aura can include visual disturbances like a flash of light, coloured flashlights or a blind spot; it could be tingling on one side of the face in the arm or leg. Not all people get these auras, and some get different auras like food cravings and too much yawning.
The actual cause of migraines is not fully understood. Scientists in the theories they love state that migraines occur when a wave of nerve cell activity spreads across the brain and excites the trigeminal nerve causing a release of neurotransmitters which mediate the pains that come as migraines. What causes the wave of nerve cell activity? There are many triggers of nerve cell activity; stress, hormonal changes, emotions, sudden change in environment, weather, sleep patterns, meal patterns, hangover and some medications.
Causes of Migraines
Understanding the triggers of your migraines is the first step in managing and preventing migraines. Most women have reported having a migraine while in their monthly periods. People who travel a lot report migraines when they experience sudden changes in weather or environment. However, about 80% of people who experience migraines seem to get them after an episode of stress. Learning how to cope up and manage stress can be one of the most efficient ways of preventing migraines if you realise that they occur after stressful days or nights.
Stress in itself is haphazardous. It disrupts metabolic processes, affects the body's functionality, fastens ageing and causes a number of health complications. In a life where we cannot avoid stress, learning how to cope and reduce stress is a core component in general health and wellbeing.
How do you identify that you're stressed?
Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. Stress happens in order to allow the body to respond or adapt to new situations, respond to danger and be alert. It is quite easy to tell that you're stressed by a day or a night. What gets complicated is to tell that your body is suffering from long term effects of the stress you accumulate everyday. Here's how;
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Muscle aches and pains whose origin is un explained
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Chest pain, headaches and trouble sleeping.
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Muscle tension or jaw clenching
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Digestive problems
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Trouble having sex
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Irritability and sadness
How to manage and cope up with stress?
Most of the time, the matters that stress us revolve around the things we love; our children, our parents, our dogs, our partners, mention anything you love. That exactly has the power to stress you. Experts in stress management recommend that in order to manage stress efficiently, you have to constantly remind yourself that you as an individual have the power to choose what gets into your way and in your head!
- Set time aside at the end of your day and write down three tasks you have accomplished during the day and three things you are grateful for.
- Exercise when you feel symptoms of stress coming on. This could be a walk, usually nature walks are magical.
- Set goals for your day, week and month. This will help you narrow your view and help you feel more in control of the moment and long-term tasks.
- Eat food rich in Vitamin B and Magnesium salts like walnut, cashew, peanuts, spinach. The easiest way to obtain all the ingredients in these nuts is to have them grinded or blended and taken with an accompaniment of your choice. Milk or yoghurt is usually a perfect accompaniment.
- Make use of stress relief supplements. These are best taken before bed so you are energised and refreshed the brain and body cells overnight to be able to attack the next day. Make sure to choose a supplement with particularly magnesium glycinate salts, these are the ultimate stress busters and a major component of dark chocolate. Ever wondered why dark chocolate relieves stress? Well, it's the magnesium glycinate. So while choosing that supplement, be sure to choose one whose magnesium salt is magnesium glycinate. Choose a supplement that improves mood and focus in addition to relieving stress. These three will lead you to the best stress relief supplement to manage your stress. Better together.
