What is migraine?
Migraine is most often a pulsating headache that can affect people of all ages. It is often experienced as a one-sided, throbbing pain, and often occurs in small, recurring attacks. The fact is that about 15% of the Danish population has experienced migraine, and a large proportion of them suffer from either chronic or recurrent migraine. For many people, this can become a debilitating condition that affects their quality of life and all those around them.
For several reasons, migraines are more common in women than in men, which may be due to hormonal changes, menstruation, stress, muscle tension, and our dietary habits.
The headache is often accompanied by nausea and possibly vomiting. One often becomes extra sensitive to external stimuli, especially light and sound, and many therefore often seek rest in a dark, cool, and quiet room.
The headache attack can last from a few hours up to three days.
The two most common subtypes of migraine are migraine with aura and migraine without aura. Approximately one-third of all people with migraine experience aura. Briefly, aura can manifest as zigzagging luminous flashes, dark fields, tingling sensations, and disturbances in the fingers and face. This attack develops gradually and typically lasts 20-30 minutes.
What can I do to prevent and relieve it?
If you experience recurrent migraines, it is always recommended to seek advice and guidance from your general practitioner. Your doctor can help you put together the optimal medical treatment and possibly refer you to other specialists.
You can also find good inspiration at the Danish Association for Headache Sufferers, where there are many relevant articles on new research in the field.
As a nurse, I have been in contact with many people with recurrent migraines across all age groups.
-Common to them all is that they each have very different suggestions for how best to prevent attacks, as well as suggestions for how to alleviate the experience during each attack.
I have tried to compile some of the advice here:
1) Food
Many foods can trigger a migraine, especially foods such as coffee, chocolate, caffeine, fatty foods (especially animal products), smoked foods, and all forms of alcohol. Therefore, it can be very beneficial to avoid these foods or choose to reduce intake.
2) Smoking
Avoid all forms of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, such as cigarettes and snus.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and it affects us both psychologically and physically. The substance binds so strongly to the brain's nicotine receptors that in some ways it can even be equated with narcotics. In addition, nicotine also affects our cardiovascular system, as nicotine increases the body's production of adrenaline, causes the brain's small blood vessels to constrict, and increases the heart's beat rate (the heart pumps faster). All these factors increase the risk/frequency of recurrent migraines.
3) Exercise
Exercise is beneficial in many different areas. It keeps both your body and mind well-balanced. Your circulatory system should be kept healthy and strong throughout life, and exercise can also give you a feeling of well-being and mental relaxation immediately afterwards.
4) Stress
Unfortunately, stress has become an everyday occurrence for many people, which is probably one of the reasons why so many of us, at times, have to take sick leave from work due to migraines and tension headaches. The relationship between stress and migraine/headache can be complicated, as they can both affect and cause each other. It is often a question of what comes first – migraine/headache or stress.
To prevent stress, you can benefit from taking daily walks, engaging in small hobbies, practicing yoga, or meditation. All of these aim to lower your stress hormones and achieve mental calm.
5) Sleep and Rest
It is especially in this area that you can make a big difference. Many of us both sleep too little and have very poor sleep quality.
It is important to create a good sleeping environment. Here, too, it is very individual what works for YOU.
Many suggest that there should always be good ventilation, a cool temperature, and blackout curtains installed.
As a nurse, I have studied whether different types of pillows can affect our sleep quality, and THEY CAN!
Unfortunately, many of us sleep on completely wrong types of pillows, and the quality is not always optimal. When my clients ask me what they can do to relieve and prevent migraines/tension headaches, I often start by asking about their sleep habits, bed, and pillows. Many prefer to sleep on their side or stomach, and if you don't have the right support, you will get tension in your head, neck, and entire spine.
At Seniorpleje, we have therefore chosen to focus on quality pillows, so we always have the opportunity to help you find the perfect pillow for you and your needs.
See our large selection of quality pillows here:
Often, many of us can fortunately feel when a migraine is coming. We can therefore often take our medicine and lie down under the duvet. In addition to migraine medication, many of us use ice packs, etc., but it can be difficult to fall asleep with them, as we often toss and turn to find an optimal sleeping position.
-We can help you with that! We now have 3 different cooling masks/cooling caps, which have 3 very different functions, so there is always one that suits your needs. Common to all of them is that they are reusable, stored in the freezer, and are particularly suitable for those who suffer from the following: Migraine, tension headache, stress, cluster headache, menopause, hot flashes, hangovers, or common flu symptoms with fluctuating temperatures.
See links to our 3 different cooling masks here:
See our migraine masks here:
The one thing you need to do is put your cooling mask in the freezer so it's always ready for use. If you have frequent and prolonged attacks, we recommend that you get two, so there's always one to switch with. Put it in a freezer bag to protect it from strong-smelling foods, etc.
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I hope you found my tips useful or gained some inspiration :)
If you need advice and guidance, you are always welcome to contact me via email kontakt@seniorpleje.dk or mobile 40563841.
Best regards,
Ditte Alici,
Owner & Nurse
Address:
Seniorpleje ApS
Ny Boder 11
7080 Børkop
www.seniorpleje.dk
Customer service: 40563841
