Migraine and sleep are interrelated because the same side of the brain controls them. So, when you begin to experience Migraine or severe headaches, it is time to consider your sleep quality and quantity concerning the standard or recommended level. Poor sleep hygiene, sleep deprivation, and migraines eventually affect your overall physical and cognitive function.
And if you want to overcome these limitations, you must find a way to tune your sleep patterns with close attention. The ability to manage the risks of Migraine may increase if one lays more hold on sleep hygiene tips. Meanwhile, the pain tolerance may also reduce if the Migraine becomes severe, and as a result, one may fail to sleep.
One could wake up with that harsh, severe headache in the morning. And because Migraine is directly linked with sleep-wake patterns, excessive sleep or staying longer in bed may cause it. Let us first look at Migraine as we gradually journey towards what you may have to do to heal them. Learn more about how to achieve sleep hygiene for pregnant women.
What are Migraines?
Migraines refer to a neurological disorder characterized by intense and throbbing headaches. This severe pain could range from four to 72 hours non-stop and is a common condition worldwide. Statistics show that it affects not less than 12% of Americans and ranks among the world’s most weakening illnesses. In addition, they represent one of the most challenging and prevalent neurological conditions. It can affect not only your physical life but also the quality of social, family, and work or business life.
The early signs of migraines include prodrome or aura symptoms such as unusual food cravings, vision impairments, and mood swings. As the symptoms get severe, one notices that other complicated symptoms set in. These may include nausea, vomiting, and sensory sensitivity. Moreover, the signs may accompany muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling in their extremities at the beginning of the day.
Causes of Migraines
Many studies have related the effect of genetics, among other factors, constricted blood vessels leading to migraines. Meanwhile, migraines are three times more likely in women than men, especially those with a related history before time. In the case of family history with Migraine, we can link the occurrence to the genetically induced experience.
Moreover, migraines can go hand-in-hand with other medical conditions. The conditions include epilepsy, stress, head injuries, skipped meals, bright and flashing lights, and hormonal changes. It could also result from insufficient sleep, food triggers, caffeine, tobacco, medication, infection, hormonal changes, or sudden or extreme weather changes.
The sad news is that migraines have no cure, but one can control the symptoms to a large extent. For instance, there are medications and behavioral adjustments that can alleviate the impacts of the disease. However, you must ensure the drugs all follow a professional prescription. The next section with discuss the relationship between migraines and sleep hygiene.
What is the importance of migraines to your Sleep Hygiene?
The relationship between migraines and deep sleep can be best described as a bidirectional one. In other words, having sleep patterns can lead to Migraine and vice versa. There is a similarity between the anatomical structures where sleep and migraines occur in the brain. These structures include the cortex, brain stem, supraoptic nucleus, and hypothalamus. Also, the systems help to regulate neurotransmitters like dopamine, melatonin, serotonin, and orexin.
Each neurotransmitter has specific functions when coordinating the circadian rhythm for sleep and wakefulness. The steps for functionality also include modulating, transmitting, and processing pains. Some bidirectional relationships may also be fostered by sleep and migraines interrelationship. And when the situation tends toward Migraine, the melatonin levels in the body decrease significantly.
What do statistics say about the relationship between migraines and Sleep Hygiene?
The health risks of poor sleep and migraines can be highly significant. Close to half of those who suffer migraines have disturbed sleep. Some patients hardly sleep, except they are induced to do so. Other studies show a strong relevance between migraine attacks, psychiatric conditions, and disturbed sleep or sleep deprivation. It also relates to anxiety, fear, and depression. In some cases, migraine patients may also have heart attacks or strokes.
Furthermore, patients may experience other complications such as
- A reduced cognitive function
- Obesity
- Mood swings and disorders
- Increased accident and risk of injury
- Low rate of productivity
- Chronic pain-related stress
- Diabetes
Tips to improve your migraine symptoms for a better sleep hygiene
The closest thing to the cure of migraines is a few adjustments to the cause of the disease and behavioral changes. Since sleep and migraines are interrelated, one can easily adjust sleep to control migraines. Meanwhile, there is a new drug-free alternative that can be employable to mage migraines, and it is a wearable device. But, about sleep, the following tips can work for managing migraines.
- Go to bed early and wake up at consistent times to train your body
- Resist the urge to oversleep or undersleep, ignoring the recommended period of eight hours on average.
- Using stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and even some other beverages is dangerous for your system
- Identify and avoid some of the activities that may trigger Migraine for you
- Take some mind exercise such as yoga and meditation before retiring to bed
However, if after trying the following, the symptoms of Migraine persist and it’s been impacting your life, you should seek medical advice. Doctors and other medical professionals can quickly diagnose a lack of sufficient sleep and any underlying sleep disorder in the body. In response, they can prescribe the right drugs, dietary changes, therapy, and other treatments to get your sleep hygiene back in shape.
Conclusion
As tough as Migraine can be and as difficult as it is to get a cure, controlling your sleep is a sure way to reduce the symptoms. In other words, since the two concepts are related, you can use one to control the other and vice versa. Stop depending on migraine drugs that can cause further complications. Instead, you should develop better sleep hygiene to manage Migraine and prevent it from knocking on your door.