Could Changes in the Weather Trigger a Migraine Headache?

The search for migraine headache triggers is a continuing quest for those people hard to steer clear of the often unbearable pain that follows the start of a migraine attack. Stress is perhaps the most famous of all migraine headache triggers and those of us who suffer from this neurological condition try hard to either avoid stress or to mitigate the effects as far as they can. A few other triggers to stay away from are nicotine, alcohol, chocolate, and nuts.

Tradition also suggests that the weather could also be a trigger for migraine headaches, so is this the case?

Arthritis and chronic back pains sufferers recognize that the pain of their condition is significantly affected by changes in the weather and this lends some credibility to the view of chronic migraine sufferers that the weather also adversely influences their ability to steer clear of migraine headaches.

The announcement of a forthcoming pressure system could well be an indication of the arrival of a storm to most of us but to those of us who suffer from migraine headaches it often spells trouble. The change in the weight of the air affects the ease with which we breathe and with which oxygen is moved through the body in the blood vessels. For instance, constrict more because of the change in pressure and this could be the very trigger event for a migraine headache. It is worth noting that countering this effect using caffeine is generally one of the quickest and best solutions.

The wind is another aspect of the weather that can set migraine sufferers on edge. Even when the associated pressure changes of windy conditions are minor the fact that pollutants which may be triggers for migraine sufferers are swirling all around makes this a distinct migraine trigger.

In a few cases a migraine might actually be secondary to a different kind of headache such as a sinus headache. This could appear with a temperature, difficulty breathing, and bodily aches and pains. When this is taken alongside the burgeoning pain of a migraine headache the result may be not only extremely painful but also debilitating.

If allergens are the root cause of the sinus headache there might be an ensuing infection that the body will have to fight off. During that time there is a good chance that migraine headaches will be triggered by the weakened body and its heightened susceptibility to stress.

As you can see, a change in weather not only proclaims the possibility of one migraine headache trigger, but it also serves as the starting point for a host of trigger events that could result in numerous migraine attacks. Unhappily, weather triggers cannot be avoided and even remaining indoors will have only a limited effect on the overall avoidance of a migraine trigger event.

Consequently, it makes sense to use a variety of preventive measures to avoid trigger events. Sometimes this means using medication while at other times you can turn to holistic means of migraine trigger avoidance. These could include things like cardiovascular exercise, stress relief, relaxation techniques, aromatherapy, massage therapy, biofeedback and also acupuncture.

TheMigraineHeadacheCentre.com offers treatment advice for a variety of headaches including tension headaches, sinus headaches, cluster headaches, ocular migraines and migraine headaches.