Las Migrañas? Suplemento Natural para Enfermos de Migraña

MIGRELIEF INFORMACION: MigreLief es un suplemento nutricional que proporciona apoyo nutricional a hombres, mujeres y niños que sufren de migrañas.
Durante casi tres décadas, MigreLief ha sido el suplemento número uno para la migraña para la salud neurológica y el confort de la cabeza.

Se puede utilizar con sus medicamentos con receta o sin migraña. MigreLief es seguro para los niños de dos años de edad o más.

Disponible en cuatro fórmulas para satisfacer las necesidades de todos: MigreLief Original, MigreLief+M, Children’s MigreLief y MigreLief-NOW de acción rápida
fórmula “según sea necesario”

MigreLief Fórmula Original (12-Adultos)

TRES INGREDIENTES:

Riboflavina (La vitamina B2) – 400 mg. al dia

Magnesio (citrato y el óxido) – 360 mg. al dia

La hierba Feverfew – (Puracol™ – hoja entera y extraer propietario) – 100 mg. al dia

** Recomendado por neurólogos y clínicas de dolor de cabeza

** Utilizado por cientos de miles de personas que sufren de migraña

** La mejor opción de vitaminas y minerales, a base de hierbas y sin medicamentos para personas con migraña

** Usar con sus medicamentos migraña o sin

** Seguro para niños de dos años o más

Children’s MigreLief

MigreLief Infantil es un complemento nutricional para niños de 2 a 12 años que padecen migrañas. Contiene los mismos ingredientes que el MigreLief original, pero con dosis y tamaños de pastillas ajustados para niños.

MigreLief+M para quienes padecen migraña menstrual/hormonal

¿Sus migrañas ocurren principalmente justo antes, durante o después de su ciclo menstrual?
MigreLief + M para las mujeres que sufren de migrañas menstruales u hormonales. También controla los síntomas del Síndrome Premenstrual.

MigreLief-NOW (Edad 2 – Adulto)
Formula de rescate de acción rápida, tomada “según sea necesario” para las migrañas y dolores de cabeza, diariamente para la salud común.
Uso recomendado: Tomar 2-4 cápsulas con la comida a la primera señal de incomodidad. En dos horas tomar 2 más si es necesario. Dosis para niños, la mitad de la dosis de los adultos.
Nota: Para el “diario” apoyo nutricional adicional, puede añadir 2 cápsulas “NOW” a su dosis de la mañana de cualquier fórmula diaria de mantenimiento MigreLief.

Para comprar MigreLief y para más información: www.MigreLief.com En la parte inferior izquierda de la página, haga clic en el traductor de páginas.

Opiniones de los Médicos

¡He estado recomendando su producto a mi paciente de la jaqueca y le agradezco – TRABAJA! – Afram, práctica de la familia del MD (Long Beach Kaiser)

“MigreLief proporciona una nueva e importante opción para los médicos y los pacientes. Es altamente beneficioso, conveniente y razonablemente tasado.” – Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director, clínica del dolor de cabeza de Nueva York, Nueva York, NY

He estado recomendando Migrelief a mis pacientes y los resultados son absolutamente encouraging. ¡Gran producto! – Martin menos, HACE (práctica de la familia – Holyoke, MA)

Opiniones de los Usuarios

Esto es lo que los usuarios de consumo de MigreLief ™ son sayingMIGRELIEF realmente cambió mi vida! – JM en Michigan

Lo he intentado todo. Nada funcionó como MigreLief “- JS quiero darle las gracias por lo mucho, mucho para el desarrollo de un producto tan maravilloso! -CE en Nueva Jersey

Estoy tan feliz que me puede funcionar. Gracias de nuevo por cambiar mi vida! – AJ en Nueva York

Me encanta su producto y quieren tomar por el resto de mi vida –de hecho, lo necesito. – Sherie B.

Han pasado años desde que he disfrutado de tanta libertad! – CW en California

MigreLief is es fabricado por Akeso Health Sciences, LLC – www.migrelief.com 1-800-758 8746

Akeso Ciencias de la Salud se encuentra en Westlake Village, California. Desarrollamos parte de la prima más eficaz suplementos nutricionales en el mundo con el objetivo de ayudar a las personas a transformar sus vidas para alcanzar la salud extraordinaria.

Estas declaraciones no han sido evaluadas por la Food and Drug Administration. Este producto no está destinado a diagnosticar, tratar, curar o prevenir ninguna enfermedad.

Unusual Migraine Symptoms

What does your typical migraine feel like? Every migraineur experiences attacks differently, though head pain, nausea, and light sensitivity are the most commonly reported symptoms. But what about those weird or unusual symptoms that you sometimes get before or during a migraine that nobody talks about? Are they a product of your headache, or could they be something else?

“Unusual” migraine symptoms are more common than you think

When you’ve suffered from migraine for a long time, you get to know your headaches pretty well. For example, maybe know precisely when an attack is coming because you get the same signs – aka auras – every time. Or perhaps you know that you always feel pain on the same side of your head no matter how intense your headache is. But when other symptoms that don’t fit the description of the “classic migraine symptoms” show up, it can be hard to find an explanation.

We don’t know exactly what causes migraine disease. Experts believe that many factors, including genetic predispositions, environmental triggers, and abnormalities in the brain’s structure may contribute to these debilitating headaches. Nerve over-activity and chemical imbalances are also thought to play a role in migraine development. What scientists know for sure is that there is not one single factor that causes them.

Because migraine is such a complex disease and we know so little of it, experts haven’t had a chance to study every potential migraine symptom. Head pain, nausea and vomiting, as well as sound and light sensitivity, are the hallmark symptoms of this condition because they are the most frequent, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others.

One unusual yet frequent symptom that people don’t associate with migraine is ear pain. There isn’t a lot of research looking at the relationship between migraines and the inner ear. However, one small study of 26 patients found that 92 percent of migraine patients with ear pain saw improvements after receiving a migraine treatment.

During the prodromal phase – i.e., a few hours or days before the onset of the attack – many migraineurs also report feeling clumsy or having trouble with coordination. However, people rarely realize that maybe they keep dropping their keys because a migraine is approaching. An unexplained toothache that won’t go away can also be directly or indirectly related to migraine headaches, particularly because a great deal of migraine sufferers also clench their jaws or grind their teeth.

There could be dozens or even hundreds of signs and symptoms caused by migraines that we don’t know about. Unexplained neck aches, gastrointestinal problems, and even some respiratory issues can sometimes be triggered by migraines, but without more research, it’s hard to be certain. These are other lesser-known migraine symptoms that are more common than you think:

Cold hands/feet
Puffy eyelids/eye irritation
Hearing loss or decreased hearing
Blacking out
Night sweats
Toothaches/sensitivity
Dark circles under eyes
Stuffed nose
Hyperventilation
Aphasia (trouble remembering words)
Olfactory hallucinations
Frequent urination
Nightmares

The good news is that if you experience strange or uncommon symptoms before, during, or after a migraine attack you are not alone – a large number of migraine sufferers also experience so-called unusual symptoms. And more importantly, knowing the source of your unexplained symptoms can relieve a lot of the stress and anxiety that comes with them.

Children’s Headaches Rarely Linked to Vision Problems

Pediatric migraines often go undiagnosed because unlike adults, children cannot easily communicate to their parents or physicians just what type of symptoms they’re experiencing. In many cases crying, lack of focus and symptoms of depression are attributed to things other than the actual problem. Migraines may also be under-diagnosed by doctors, due to the prominence of non-headache symptoms and the shorter duration of an attack. While adults typically have one-sided headaches, children often experience pain on both sides of the head, and the headaches are commonly accompanied
by sensitivity to light and sound.

A common assumption is that headaches in children might be related to poor vision. Often times, children who complain of headaches (as well as visual issues) are referred to pediatric ophthalmologists. A study revealed that an estimated 25% of pediatric patients who see an ophthalmologist for headaches meet the diagnostic criteria for migraine. The percentages were the same for male and female patients.

In addition to head pain, during a migraine attack, some children may experience blurred vision, perception of jagged lines, or partial loss of vision. Ophthalmologists should remain cognizant of the prevalence of pediatric migraine and consider it in pediatric patients complaining of migraine symptoms.

Visual migraines are temporary visual disturbances that usually affect both eyes. If the visual disturbance is followed by a throbbing one-sided headache, it is referred to as “migraine with aura” (classic migraine) and the visual disturbance is called an aura rather than an ocular migraine. A migraine without a visual disturbance is called a migraine without aura (common migraine).

Ocular Migraine vs. Visual Migraine

Ocular or retinal migraines happen in the eye, so only affect the vision in that eye, while visual migraines occur in the brain, so affect the vision in both eyes together.

Ocular migraines are believed to have the same causes as migraine headaches. Unfortunately, a visit to the eye doctor may not help much in terms of how to treat or prevent ocular migraines as the visual symptoms that accompany ocular migraines are not related directly to the eyes but rather to the migraine activity in the brain.

Children’s Headaches Rarely Linked to Vision Problems

Regarding headaches… In a study conducted by pediatric ophthalmologists at Albany Medical Center in New York State, researchers reviewed medical records of children under age 18 who were seen at the clinic between 2002 – 2011 and all had received complete eye examinations. The findings showed there was no significant correlation between children’s frequent headaches and a need for vision correction. “We hope our study will reassure parents that in most cases, their children’s headaches are not related to vision or eye problems…” said Zachary Roth, MD, an ophthalmologist who led the research team.

What to Do if a Migraine Diagnosis is Made

If a diagnosis of migraine is made, a good place to start is with effective nutritional support with a combination of nutritional supplements that many pediatric neurologists recommend to maintain normal cerebrovascular tone and function. These ingredients are:

High dose Riboflavin (Vitamin-B2)
Magnesium
Feverfew

All 3 ingredients are listed in the American Academy of Neurology’s Guidelines for Migraine Prophylaxis.

Migraine Diary and Trigger Tracker

Record important facts about migraines, before, during and after an attack to help identify and avoid potential migraine triggers. Preventing migraines by avoiding things that trigger them is key to migraine control. (Download free migraine diary/trigger tracker)

Help Your Child Live a Healthy Lifestyle

The migraine brain loves consistency, so basically any change can trigger an attack in a hyper-responsive brain. Modifying lifestyle for the prevention of migraines and headaches includes being consistent.

1. Sleep – Make sure your child is getting enough sleep each night and maintaining as close to a consistent sleep schedule as possible (going to bed and waking up at the same time each day). Getting young children and adolescents to bed early can be challenging. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping bedtime manageable and under 30 minutes.

Children learn by watching their parents and other adults, so parents should be mindful of the examples that they are setting even during “unimportant” activities like going to bed at a certain time. Have your child turn off his or her devices (smart phone, tablet, television, computer) at least one hour before bedtime. Excessive blue light exposure from screens can throw off circadian rhythm making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Because kids benefit from structure, following a bedtime routine is the best way of getting children to develop the healthy sleeping habits that they may carry into adulthood. Sleep is the most successful tool you and your child can rely on for maintaining physical and mental health as well as longevity.

2. Hydration – Drinking plenty of water every day is important for migraine sufferers. A vast majority of people are chronically dehydrated as they opt for more flavorful alternatives. Unknowingly they become more dehydrated by drinking sugary beverages and caffeinated drinks. Children age 4-8 should drink approximately 7 cups a day, age 9-13 9-10 cups, and 14-18, 10 cups of water. Beverages should not contain caffeine or artificial sweeteners.

3. Exercise – Encourage your child to exercise at lease 3 days a week. Many children spend a great deal of time in front of a computer screen or mobile device. Keep them moving as exercise increases blood flow in the body and to the brain, can be a great way to channel nervous energy, plus it releases feel-good endorphins that boost your child’s mood.

4. Dietary supplements for children and teens with migraine– Consider a nutritional regimen of dietary supplements whose ingredients have been shown in clinical studies to be beneficial for both adults and children with migraines.

Why Wait To Treat The Pain? (Can You Prevent Migraines?)

Dr. Stephen Silberstein is one of the most published migraine neurologists in the country. His comments below are honest and very important for chronic migraine sufferers to understand.

Chronic migraines sufferers “over-medicate” with either prescription pain-relieving medications or over the counter medications containing an OTC pain killer with added caffeine. Over-use of the medications cause additional “rebound” headaches and actually worsen migraine frequency. Many sufferers will use the medication to eliminate or reduce the pain of a current migraine only to have another occur in the next day or two.

Dr. Silberstein then goes on to say, “Migraine prevention products are grossly under-used. The most popular prescription migraine prevention medicines are associated with significant side effects such as temporary memory dysfunction and slurring of speech which cause many people to discontinue their use.”

Preventing Migraines Better Than Treatment

(United Press International via COMTEX) — A migraine expert said Thursday…Therapy to prevent migraines can be more effective than attempting to treat the pain.

Dr. Stephen Silberstein, director of the Jefferson Headache Center and professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, made the statement during an American Medical Association briefing in New York.

Silberstein said migraine treatment has come a long way during the past five years, with a key treatment factor being the development of triptans — drugs capable of combining with neuronal receptors in the brain to initiate drug actions.

Said Silberstein: “One of the greatest bugaboos we see every day in headache centers is patients with chronic daily or near-daily headache, who are overusing medication. It is our most common problem.

“These patients have often not responded to treatment and in an attempt to treat themselves, actually make the problem worse. This is not addiction or an attempt to get ‘high’; rather, it is motivated by the patient’s desire to relieve pain and dysfunction.”

He added, “Migraine preventive therapy is grossly underused.”

About 25 to 30 million Americans experience migraine headaches and many more are undiagnosed.

Preventive (also called prophylactic) treatment of migraines is a very important component of migraine management and migraine relief. Preventive regimens range from taking nutritional supplements such as magnesium, riboflavin, and feverfew, to lifestyle alterations and avoiding migraine triggers.

A Connection Between Migraines and Weight Gain?

WOULD LESS MIGRAINES MEAN LESS WEIGHT?

A recent study carried out by the University of Washington in Seattle and published in the medical journal Headache found that women whose migraines started in childhood were 33% more likely to gain 22 pounds or more after the age of 18 than women who didn’t have migraines.

It is known that obesity doubles the odds of getting migraines and that over-weight children who were suffering from migraines, improved significantly, if they lost weight.

Combining this information with the established correlation between hormonal fluctuations and blood sugar fluctuation contributing to both migraines and weight gain, it makes sense to consider effective nutritional support for migraine sufferers and MigreLief is the best place to start.

For additional information please visit MigreLief.com

More Than a Headache: The Economic Impact of Migraines

Migraine is a neurological condition that affects 12 to 15 percent of the entire world’s population. In the United States alone, it is estimated that every 10 seconds, someone seeks emergency care for a severe headache. Migraine is the most common diagnosis after a headache-related emergency visit. Even though migraines aren’t as publicized or talked about as other conditions, this disorder is more prevalent than asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy combined.

As is the case with other disabling conditions, the economic burden of migraines in the United States is significant. The Migraine Research Foundation estimates that more than 90 percent of people who suffer from migraines are unable to function normally during an attack. That means that every day, tens of thousands of individuals have to miss work or school as a direct consequence of migraines. In households with at least one migraine sufferers, healthcare costs are estimated to be up to 70 percent higher.

To calculate the individual and public expenditure for any particular condition or disease, experts use the concept of direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are the costs that can be attributed to healthcare services. Emergency room visits, lab tests, and diagnostic exams, and office visits are all examples of direct costs. Indirect costs, on the other hand, include short and long-term disability, absenteeism (missing work or school), and loss of productivity.

The Real Cost of Migraines

Based on the frequency of the attacks, migraines are divided into two broad categories: chronic and episodic. Chronic migraines are categorized as having 15 or more headaches, with at least eight meeting the criteria for migraine with or without aura, per month for a period of at least three months. Episodic migraines are defined as having 14 or fewer headaches per month, with at least one fulfilling the criteria for migraine.

Both chronic and episodic migraines pose a substantial economic burden, though chronic migraines are more disabling, and thus more expensive. In a research study published by the American Headache Society’s journal Headache, a group of researchers collected data from 2,143 chronic and episodic migraine patients using a web-based survey to understand the direct and indirect costs associated with migraines.

For the study, respondents were asked to provide information on the number of times in the past three months where they were admitted to the hospital, underwent diagnostic testing, visited the emergency room or urgent care, or visited their healthcare provider due to their headaches. Other questions included the number of days the subjects had to miss work or school because of headaches, and the number of days the participant saw their productivity at work or home reduced by half.

The results of the study confirmed the substantial economic burden of migraine headaches for American migraineurs, particular among those who suffer from chronic migraines. On average, episodic migraines had an annual per-person cost of $2,649. The vast majority of that expenditure came from direct expenses, including visits to a primary care physician, neurologist, and nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.

As expected, the direct, indirect, and total costs were substantially higher in the chronic migraine group. Study participants in the chronic migraine group reported more primary care and specialist visits, more headache-related diagnostic testing, and greater losses in productivity. Chronic migraineurs were also more likely to miss work or school due to a migraine attack.

Comorbid conditions also drive up the costs for chronic migraineurs. According to the American Migraine Foundation, chronic migraine sufferers are at an increased risk of having at least one more chronic condition (comorbidity) like depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and stroke. The annual per-person cost of chronic migraines was estimated to be around $8,243.

Other sources estimate that the collective cost of chronic and episodic migraines in the United States amounts to $36 to $41 billion annually. Medications and preventive migraine therapies also account for a significant portion of the total expenditure. In a 2005 study published in the Journal of Managed Care, abortive medications in the triptan class of drugs accounted for the highest medication costs of migraines.

Migraine continues to be somewhat of a mystery in the medical community. It is believed that nearly half of migraine sufferers are never officially diagnosed with migraines, which means that the cost of this neurological condition could be even higher than estimated.

The Big Bang Theory of Migraine

Do you remember how old you were when you got your first migraine? For many, these debilitating headaches begin during adolescence or their early twenties, though migraines can really start at any age.

It is estimated that about 5 percent of school-aged children struggle with migraines, and in some cases, children as young as 4 years old may start experiencing symptoms. Before adolescence, girls and boys get migraines at a similar rate, but by the time puberty arrives, the incidence of migraine attacks among girls more than doubles that of boys. Experts aren’t sure why women are more sensitive to migraine headaches than men, but one potential culprit may be estrogen, the most abundant hormone in women’s bodies.

First Exposure to Estrogen Could be the Starting Point for Migraine in Some Adolescent Girls

In a study presented last year at the American Headache Society 61^st Annual Scientific Meeting, experts set out to understand why the prevalence of migraines among girls shoots up – and ultimately remains greater in adult women – after the first menstruation but stays the same among their male counterparts.

For the study conducted by a team of experts from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, 10 years of data from 761 teen girls between the ages of 8 and 20 were examined. The research team followed up with the participants every 6 to 12 months to determine if puberty was approaching or if it had already started. The team looked for thelarche (breast development), menarche (start of menstruation), and pubarche (growth of pubic hair) as the early signs of puberty.

When the girls were around 16 years old, they were asked to fill out a headache questionnaire to determine if they met the diagnostic criteria for migraine or probable migraine. Out of all participants, 11 percent were diagnosed with migraine, and 7 percent had probable migraines. The vast majority of girls (82 percent) did not meet the criteria for migraine headaches.

After comparing the onset of puberty and migraine diagnosis, researchers found that girls with migraine were more likely to have earlier menarche and thelarche than girls without migraines. Specifically, girls with migraine, on average, experienced menarche 5 months earlier and thelarche 4 months earlier.

According to Vincent Martin, MD, president of the National Headache Foundation and one of the co-investigators of the study, their results suggest “(…) that the very first exposure to estrogen could be the starting point for migraine in some adolescent girls. It may be the Big Bang Theory of Migraine.”

It’s hard to determine why some girls experience these changes sooner than others. Most of the time, puberty starts after the hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland to release hormones (estrogen in the case of girls and testosterone in the case of boys). In the case of early or precocious puberty, the brain may start sending out these signals earlier than it is supposed to. Other times, though less common, precocious puberty can happen as a result of a more serious issue like a tumor or thyroid problems.

While precocious puberty can rarely be prevented, treating any underlying medical conditions that may trigger it or using medications or supplements to lower abnormally high levels of hormones has been shown to help.

Can Light Therapy Improve Migraines?

Some 5,000 years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to find Egyptians sitting under shinning rays of colored light, hoping to find relief for all kinds of ailments. In special purpose-built rooms, colored crystals were strategically placed at different angles to allow sunlight to filter through them and shine different colors. These colors were associated with things like fertility, healing, protection, and more.

Light therapy, also called phototherapy (or chronotherapy when light is combined with colors for added benefits), has been around for thousands of years. But Egyptians weren’t the only ones harvesting the powers of the sun; experts have found evidence suggesting that ancient Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Indian civilizations all benefited from chronotherapy. Now, new research shows that our ancestors were probably onto something when they decided to use concentrated sunlight therapeutically.

Light therapy has evolved quite a bit over the past five millennia. One of the first to study the therapeutic effects of light in modern medicine was an Islandic physician named Niels Finsen. In 1903, Dr. Finsen was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for curing skin tuberculosis (lupus vulgaris) after finding that light made him feel more energetic despite suffering from Niemann-Pick disease – a metabolic disorder that affects the body’s ability to metabolize lipids.

Years after Dr. Finsen’s discovery, NASA developed a newer kind of light-emitting diode (LED) that was more effective and stable than any previous LED technologies. LED technology – when using the correct wavelength and potency – has been proven to be effective for wound healing, skin rejuvenation, pain treatment, and more.

Migraines and Light Therapy

Putting migraines and light therapy on the same sentence might sound like an oxymoron. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of migraineurs experience mild to severe photophobia (light sensitivity) before or during an attack, making light one of the most well-known migraine triggers. Blue light, like the one emitted from smartphones and other electronic devices, seems to affect migraineurs the most.

However, recent studies have shown that while certain light colors such as blue, white, red, and amber appear to exacerbate headaches and photophobia, one color, in particular, seems to reduce migraine severity and light sensitivity significantly.

A Green New Hope

Ever since phototherapy was introduced as a relatively safe and effective treatment for all kinds of afflictions, a rainbow of colored therapeutic light bulbs has emerged. For example, blue light is said to improve the symptoms of seasonal depression, and red light seems to be an effective acne treatment. Green, however, is the color of choice when it comes to treating a headache.

Green light is thought to reduce chronic pain, including pain caused by migraines, fibromyalgia, and other pain syndromes. In an animal study published in the journal Pain, green light was shown to reduce pain sensation in rats by up to 60 percent. In another study conducted by Harvard Medical School researchers, participants were asked to report changes in pain intensity during a migraine attack when they were exposed to different colored lights.

The results of the study showed that most respondents – nearly 80 percent – reported that high-intensity white lights significantly worsened headache pain. Every other color tested, including red, blue, and amber, also aggravated migraines. Green light, however, had no negative impact on headaches. In fact, researchers were surprised to discover that green light exposure reduced head pain in about 20 percent of participants.

While these studies present green light therapy as an interesting drug-free approach for migraine management, don’t toss out your preventive or abortive medications just yet. Currently, there aren’t many regulations in place for light therapy devices, and some commercial light therapy bulbs don’t offer the right potency to treat migraines effectively. More research is also needed to define the optimal wavelength and appropriate frequency of the treatment and to look into any potential side effects that may come along with it.

Is Your Migraine Medication Making Your Hair Fall Out?

What Can I Take Instead of Excedrin Migraine?

This is the question that migraine sufferers who have been taking Excedrin have been asking now that the production of Excedrin migraine has been discontinued until further notice. According to the American Migraine Foundation, both caplet and gel-tablets of Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine will be temporarily unavailable as GlaxoSmithKline works to resolve an inconsistency in how the ingredients are weighed. They go on to say, that this could actually be the ticket to reducing your migraine attacks because taking over-the-counter or prescription medications too frequently can actually cause Medication Overuse Headache (recurring migraines). Not only does overuse make the medication less effective over time, it also causes pain between attacks and may trigger more frequent attacks. Lastly, overuse can cause episodic (occasional migraines) to be come chronic.

If you suffer migraines, knowing and avoiding your migraine triggers is important. Also, never underestimate the power of nutrition. Many dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals and herbs) have have been shown to be beneficial for migraine sufferers. MigreLief formulas have been designed to nutritionally support migraine sufferers either daily (Original MigreLief, Children’s MigreLief or MigreLief+M) or on an “as-needed” basis,”fast-acting MigreLief-NOW.” Learn More

Fragmented Sleep Linked to Future Migraines, Study Says

Migraine sufferers are two to eight times more likely to suffer from sleep disturbances, and nearly half of migraineurs identify sleep deprivation as a trigger. Now, a new study published in the journal Neurology shows how fragmented sleep – the act of involuntarily waking up throughout the night – can trigger migraine headaches up to two days later.

Investigators from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA conducted a prospective study of 98 adults who suffered from episodic migraines. For the study, participants were asked to log information on sleep, migraines, and other health behaviors in an electronic diary. In addition to self-reported data, researchers also analyzed data collected from a wrist actigraphy device.

Over the course of six weeks, participants reported 870 headaches, with an average of 8.4 headaches per study volunteer. The average sleep duration was 7.7 hours. Surprisingly, the results of the study suggested that neither poor sleep quality (not resting during the night) nor short sleep duration (less than 6.5 hours) were associated with migraine episodes.

On the other hand, investigators found that sleep fragmentation, measured both by actigraphy and self-reported data, was linked to migraines not the day immediately following the fragmented sleep episode (day 0 in the study), but the day after that (day 1).

In terms of why fragmented sleep seems to have a delayed effect on migraines, experts don’t have a definitive answer yet. However, authors hypothesize that “[I]t is plausible that fragmented sleep represents changes in hypothalamic control (…) that may portend a higher risk of migraine more than 24 hours prior to headache onset.”

Though the authors note that further research is needed to understand the relationship of migraines and segmented sleep, this study adds to the growing body of evidence about the protective effects of sleep in human health. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults 18 to 64 years get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, and adults older than 65 should not sleep less than 8 hours.

Download Free E-book (How to Sleep Better) and White Paper (Insomnia & the Risk of Chronic Disease, Alternative Treatments) – Click Here

Migraines – Scents & Sensitivity

Even with so many advances in medicine and technology, trigger diaries are still one of the first things doctors recommend after a migraine diagnosis. That is in part because migraines aren’t fully understood yet, so biological markers aren’t a reliable measurement. The other reason is that learning to recognize migraine triggers has been proven to improve patient-physician communication regarding treatment options and outcomes.

Everyone has different triggers, but experts believe that some common offenders affect migraineurs more than others. For example, women are significantly more likely to experience migraines than men, and researchers believe that female hormones might be partly to blame.

Stress is also a common trigger. In fact, one clinical study published in the journal Cephalgia found that almost 80 percent of respondents identified stress as a major headache trigger. Odors and scents also play a significant role in triggering and sometimes worsening migraines.

What’s That Smell?

Scents are something we tend to take for granted. As long as they are not offensive or extremely potent, we rarely notice what our surroundings smell like. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t detect the scent around us. As unlikely as it may seem, the human nose can discriminate more than one trillion smells, according to a research study published in 2014.

Our olfactory sense has many purposes, like detecting hazardous agents and shaping our sense of taste. The things we smell every day also influence how we relate and interact with the world around us; different scents can change our mood, transport us back to a particular memory, or, in the case of migraineurs, trigger a headache.

It isn’t clear why scents can trigger headaches in some people. Experts know that when a substance releases its molecules into the air, and we breathe them in, they stimulate a particular type of cells high at the back of the nose, called olfactory sensory neurons. Migraine sufferers are known to be more sensitive to odors because their sensory neurons and pain receptors seem to be more easily aroused than on people without migraines.

Common Migraine-Triggering Scents

Osmophobia is the medical term to describe the intense sensitivity and aversion to scents. While osmophobia is categorized as an anxiety disorder, it’s most commonly seen as a migraine symptom than as a stand-alone condition. Many studies have been conducted to assess the prevalence of osmophobia among migraine sufferers.

A study published in the journal Advanced Biomedical Research that surveyed 300 headache patients in Iran found that 84 percent of migraineurs with aura and 74 percent of migraine sufferers without aura reported that scents triggered some of their attacks. 50 percent of all respondents noted that osmophobia was present in all of their attacks. In another study, 75 percent of participants identified perfumes as a migraine trigger.

Perfumes are not the only smell-related migraine trigger. These are other scents that migraineurs should try to avoid:

Cigarette smoke
Gasoline and gas fumes
Motor vehicle exhaust
Chemical cleaning products
Paint/Paint thinner
Incense
Campfire smoke
Certain types of foods
Nail polish/nail polish remover

The smell of nail polish can be a migraine trigger

Preventing Smell-Induced Migraines

Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of control over how the world around us smells like. One of the most common odor-related triggers, motor vehicle exhaust, is almost impossible to avoid, no matter how hard we try. At home, it is easier to manage smells by switching to fragrance-free products, using a fan to circulate stale air, going out for fresh air, etc.

Here are some simple strategies you can implement to avoid smell-induced migraines when you are not at home:

Ask your employer to implement a fragrance-free policy (here’s an example from the American Lung Association)
Use an air purifier
Use a migraine stick to block out smells
Wear a surgical mask or a nose plug
Keep a trigger diary to learn to recognize your smell triggers so you can better avoid them