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As nearly any
migraine sufferer can tell you, certain triggers are often responsible for
bringing on migraine attacks. These can be anything from drinking
wine, eating chocolate, even just the stress associated with daily
living. Each of these and more has been found to increase
the incidence rate of migraine headaches for many sufferers. However,
fewer people, even the migraine sufferers themselves, seem to realize
that the weather can be a trigger.
A migraine headache
is a very painful headache resulting from changes in the sufferer's
blood vessels in the brain. The resulting pain can often be
quite debilitating, and can also produce other symptoms such as
nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and others. In
many cases, the sufferer reports seeing what's called an aura or
smelling unusual smells. Migraines occur more often in women than
men; about 18 percent of women suffer from them compared to 7 percent
for men.
Many
of these sufferers have learned how to avoid most triggers--but
the weather is a different story. Nobody can control that. In
a study conducted by the New England Center for Headaches, it was
discovered that more than 50 percent of migraine sufferers could
track a link between the weather and their attacks. Seventy-seven
people who reported sufferers of regular migraine attacks were analyzed
and asked to keep a journal of their incidents. These journals
were then compared with weather for the included dates. The
weather conditions included things such as changes in the atmospheric
pressure or extremely hot or cold temperatures.
And while the
link is now documented, it's not known for sure how or why weather
affects migraines in this manner. It's believed, however,
that in some way, the weather patterns trigger an inflammation in
the meninges of the sufferer's brain. If a person has migraines
and has not yet considered the weather factor, he or she might consider
keeping a diary or calendar of when the attacks occur and compare
these dates to the weather for that day. Write down every
conceivable factor about the weather What was the temperature? Was
there rain or snow? Was it humid or dry? What was the
wind like?
While there's
not much you can do to avoid these weather conditions, finding out
if your attacks are affected by the weather could help you know
in advance when a migraine might strike. This way, you can
begin immediately to take steps such as taking medicine or relaxing
in a dark room. It might also help you rule out other trigger
"suspects."
Migraine sufferers
know all too well how these painful attacks interrupt their daily
schedules and interfere with things that need to be done. Understanding
triggers is a way of lessening the impact they have on your life--and
understanding if the weather is one of those triggers is an important
step in this regard. |