Migraine headaches have many causes, or triggers. Some of them can be controlled, such a migraine headaches caused by certain foods, or flashing lights and loud noises. Other causes, such as the monthly hormonal changes in women that often trigger migraines, cannot be controlled. Other such triggers are the change of seasons, and the weather changes related to the changing seasons.
Those of us who suffer from migraines will do most anything that is within our control to prevent a migraine headache from occurring. But, what do we do about those triggers that we cannot avoid, such as the seasons, and changes in weather. To begin, changes in the weather are among the top triggers for migraine headaches. This is certainly true for me. If it isn’t time for my period and I get a migraine, then the weather has changed. Nearly half of all people who suffer from migraines have headaches that are affected by changes in the weather.
Some seem to feel that they get more migraine headaches in the Spring, and this may be based on seasonal allergies triggering migraines. In those cases, treating the seasonal allergy may alleviate the increases in migraines. Many people feel that they know what kind of weather, or season, increases their propensity to get migraine headaches, such as the colder weather of winter being the culprit, or the humidity of summer. Research has shown that it is not the type of weather that triggers migraines, it is the change, pure and simple.
Because it is the change in weather, not the weather itself, that can increase, or trigger more migraine headaches, it stands to reason that when the seasons change you may experience more migraines, as your body adjusts the the change in the weather. The type of changes in weather that affect people with migraines vary. Some people are sensitive to changes in the temperature, while others are sensitive to changes in humidity. If you are someone who is triggered by changes in humidity, then summer on the East coast might be a terrible time for you. You may think that your migraines are seasonal, but they are really weather related.
Not everyone who has migraine headaches is affected by changes in the seasons, or the weather. Of those who are, many may wonder why. it is because the brains of people who suffer from migraine headaches are simply more sensitive to all types of stimulation. What triggers you may not trigger another migraineur, but that brain sensitivity is present in both of you, nonetheless.
So, how can you avoid seasonal, or weather related migraines? The answer is that you can’t. Weather changes happen everywhere, in every climate, and most of us do not have the luxury of moving whenever the wind changes. What you can do if your migraine headaches are triggered by changing seasons, and weather, is to begin to treat your headaches at the very first sign that a migraine is coming on. The sooner you attack a migraine in the making, the more likely your are to stop it, or lessen its impact. We can’t stop the weather from changing, but we can change how we treat the migraines that come from those changes.
Teri Robert
Barometric Pressure Changes–Headaches Often Triggered By Changes in the Weather
http://headaches.about.com/
