Symptoms of Stress – The Dreaded Migraine – Part Two

Symptoms of stress come in many forms, but a migraine headache may well be the most debilitating of all stress symptoms. 

Those who suffer with frequent to occasional migraines know that the mere thought of dealing with another migraine is enough to trigger a stress or anxiety attack. 

There are, however, a few practical and natural methods for dealing with the stress that brings on the migraine as well as the actual migraine attack itself.  There are also ways to implement natural and practical methods to avoid future migraines.

Here are some ways to prevent stress migraine headaches:

Keep a Journal

One way to identify the signs or symptoms that precede a migraine headache is to start a headache journal.

Your journal entries should include the following:

• What events led up to the migraine?
• Time, date and place when the migraine began.
• What was your mood when the pain began—were you anxious or stressed?
• Were you exposed to any chemicals at the time?
• Were you eating a certain type of food?
• Were there changing weather conditions?
• Have you been sleep deprived?
• Are you eating regularly—or possibly skipping meals?
• Are you drinking too much caffeine—or perhaps have your cut back on your caffeine causing withdrawal symptoms?

Each migraine and migraine sufferer is unique, so your stress migraine triggers may be completely different than someone else’s.  A journal is a great tool that will help you narrow down the “usual suspects” that may be causing your headaches.

Take a Hard Look at Your Diet

Many foods including chocolate, dairy, eggs and caffeine can trigger migraines.  Removing most, if not all, of these foods from your diet may deliver a big pay-off in terms of sparing you the next killer migraine.  If you find you’re sensitive to the caffeine in carbonated beverages or coffee, gradually back off these beverages and start juicing! 

You can substitute nutritious fruit and vegetable juices and lots of pure filtered water for the caffeinated drinks.  Freshly juiced fruits and vegetables are powerhouses of nutrition and will help your body fight off migraines.  And, since you probably won’t feel much like eating during a migraine a fresh juice may be a good substitute and will provide lots of nutrition.  It may even help you bounce back from a migraine faster.

I started juicing a few years ago and haven’t looked back since.  I was your typical “two coffee cupper”, “move on to non-stop Dr. Peppers throughout the day” kind of girl. 

I don’t know that I can attribute my lack of migraines over the last few years to juicing, but I know it has played a huge part in making my body healthier which better enables me to handle stress.

Stop a Stress Migraine Headache in its Tracks

I don’t usually recommend taking over the counter or prescription medications if a more holistic or alternative approach will take care of the problem.  However, when I feel a migraine coming on—all bets are off.  I head for the nearest bottle of Advil and take at least 3 and sometimes 4 tablets and lay down in a dark quiet room until the migraine monster has retreated.  This usually works for me UNLESS I don’t take immediate action at the first migraine symptom.

Taking an NSAID normally interrupts the flow of prostaglandin, which is a chemical in your body that causes pain and fever.

The fluorescent lighting in offices and commercial buildings, may worsen migraines for some people.  If your office has this type of lighting, turn off the overhead lights and use a desk lamp that has a full spectrum light bulb. This light is much softer and easier on your eyes—and head.

Room noises that you wouldn’t normally notice may become like the sound of Boeing 747 in your head when you’re suffering a migraine headache.

If you can’t get away from the noise, use earplugs to muffle the noise.  You can find these at any drugstore and it would be wise to keep some handy in your desk drawer, pocket or purse for those stressful “migraine days”.

There are no foolproof ways to avoid symptoms of stress and prevent migraines, but listening to the signals your body is giving you and avoiding things that trigger migraines, you can achieve optimal health and well being.