Hit me harder on the head, I don’t feel a thing!!
Usually characterized by phonophobia (distaste for sound), photophobia (distaste for light), nausea and even vomiting, migraine is a severe episodic throbbing headache. Let’s leave out the science of migraine and understand it a tad more realistically.
Studies say women are two to three times more likely than men to have migraines, vastly due to their constantly changing physiology which affects their estrogen levels, post puberty. And a higher number of women who suffer from this terrible torture are 30 years of age and over, then the rate declines closer to menopause.
The Rise of the Devil
More universally, although one might argue the true cause of migraine, there are a few very common reasons why it taps on our head time and again. The key contributors given today’s “Lifestyle Demands” of urban population are Dehydration, poor and irregular Meal Timings, insufficient Sleep, lack of Carbohydrates (glucose) and regular Screen Time right before bed at night. Many a times these are not really the direct choices we make but rather a result of other choices we make like choosing a way of life, not prioritizing healthy habits, giving in to excesses of comfort and more importantly our use of power-of-money. Additional causes related to daily habits are excessive consumption of coffee, sweets, alcohol, processed meats and smoking. These can trigger one or more of the reasons we talked earlier and potentially invite a migraine.
Not so ironically, the above are also the causes of some of the other rapidly increasing health hazards viz. Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Dementia, Vision problems, loss of Balance, Amnesia and it just goes on. These are troubles of the real world, troubles that we bring upon ourselves most of the time by opting to lead a virtual regal lifestyle. It causes more damage than we can ever notice, and we choose not to heed when pointed out by another.
Fight for Victory
What do we do then? Is there a way to get out of this dread? We humans are all a bundle of mysteries. More often there is no same reason why one is affected in a certain way while others aren’t. Many times, the same treatment does not solve the problem in one while it works magic for another. So, the answer is very simple – we identify what are the potential causes, we streamline our habits and start eliminating one lifestyle evil at a time. If you consider the list of causes, 90% or more are in our own hands. Some of the immediate actions are to reset and strictly follow meal timings, sleep timings. Reduce screen time to a minimum or only as a necessity. Healthy foods aren’t bad at all. So, understand and monitor the real need for sweets, alcohol. Engage in physical activities, hit the gym, try out those long forgotten running shoes or simply reach out to someone who will motivate and guide you on your road to fitness. Three liters of plain water is a minimum to adequately maintain the largest component that forms our body and avoid dehydration.
Extra caution never hurts. Menstruation is a natural process in the life of a woman and the best you can do is be cautious. A few attempts and it should not be too difficult to figure out what will alleviate the impact of migraine when caused due to menstruation. The key is in trying out, seeking medical advice when in doubt. Visit your doctor whenever you have the slightest inkling about something going wrong with your health. After all, that’s the most precious thing you own.
Beat it by being YOU There are certain things money can’t buy, nor can a MasterCard! You are who you are, and you are the best the way you are. No one can take that away from you at any cost. But that is totally in your hands – how do you deal with social obligations, how do you allow others to influence you, how easily do you give in to the evils of luxury – well YOU are a strong woman and when you put your mind into a matter, you mean business.
By Anjan Goswami
He is the Founder of Mynd Your Fitness, Fitness LLP, Lifestyle and Wellness Coach. He can be contacted at anjan@myndyourfitness.com
2 Responses
Excellent. Brilliantly described.
I totally can relate,since I have been facing this monster since 2008. But I must tell that we all should know why and when this monster approaches,so that we can stop it from entering our head. Nowadays I am following some ayurvedic approach and its working for me