If you’re one who suffers from migraine, have you been experiencing an increase in episodes in the past weeks? Have you tried assessing most triggers including sleep patterns, food, hydration and screen time and still feel like it can be something else? Well, changes in weather patterns, particularly monsoon, can trigger your migraine, say doctors. They share causes, caution and care.
For the uninitiated, migraine is an episodic/chronic neurological illness characterised by recurrent moderate to severe headaches, often inassociation with manyautonomic symptoms, explains Dr Muralidhar Reddy, consultant neurologist, Care Hospital, Banjara Hills. Migraine attacks are often linked to atrigger (unavoidable external conditions such as heat, sunlight or sweat) and it is usually a chronic condition, one that you may have had to deal with for years.
Now, monsoon is a season when an increasing number of patients visit the hospital with migraine complaints, Dr K Seshi Kiran, consultant physician at Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda, informs. “Migraine is known to be precipitated by several factors. Most times, there’s a hereditary and genetic preponderance to migraine. However, weather changes too can trigger migraine in almost 50 percent of patients. Whilestudies are yet to confirman explanation about howmonsoon triggers migraine, many believe thatbarometric changes aresupposed to play a majorrole,” he adds.
Dr Muralidhar says that several studies showed that monsoon represents a dramatic change in the weather and it’s that inconsistency that the migraine brain doesn’t like and thus, results in a headache.“Research shows that changes in rainfall patterns are tied to changesin atmospheric pressure and temperature, and inturn, this can be associated with the onset of mild to severe headaches,” says Dr J Satyanarayana Rao, seniorgeneral physician, Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar.
Since one has no control over external triggers, focus on working onthe common ones you have control over, say docs. “Sleep deprivationor lack of quality sleep is a common trigger. The most common factor found in many studies isemotional disturbance. Itis known to trigger more than 80 per cent of attacks! Other common factors are hormonal changes in menstrual cycles, heat, alcohol, bright light, smoking, odours and even sexual activity. Goodsleep, avoiding alcohol and smoking, and minimising stress are the easiest things to do to avoid migraine,” Dr SeshiKiran advises. Dr Satyanarayana says that a good diet goes along way in keeping these throbbing headaches atbay. “While triggers are different for different people, some common food triggers include aged cheese, smoked fish, and Chianti wine. Alcohol, especially red wine, coffee, chocolate, tea, colas, and other tonics and foods made with nitrates, similar to pepperoni, hot dogs, and luncheon meats, must be avoided,” he concludes.