Migraine Headaches: Calming hormones and calming the head

Migraines may be brought on by a wide variety of “triggers,” including diet, sleep patterns, weather, irritating chemicals, odours, bright lights and some medications.¹

Women have three times as many migraines as men.² And roughly half of female migraine sufferers report that their headaches are connected in time to their menstrual cycles, although they can happen at other times too.³

Indeed, there is evidence that migraines may be associated with fluctuations in the hormone oestrogen.^4,6 Women may have more migraines during or before their menstrual period, or during the first trimester of pregnancy.^5,6 Oral contraceptives can also trigger migraines.^5,6 In many cases migraines can also occur more frequently during menopause.⁵

Some things to consider to decrease the frequency and severity of migraines:

• Treat the migraine as soon as possible. The earlier treatment is given, the better.⁷ So tackle it as soon as the symptoms appear.
• Keep track of your migraines. Try to identify and then avoid migraine triggers as much as possible.¹ Keep a record of migraines in order to aim to identify triggers. When a migraine strikes, make a note of your activities, diet, sleep patterns and the weather. Then look for patterns in the information.
• Medications. There are several medications currently available over-the-counter or by prescription that can help stop a migraine attack after you are experiencing symptoms.^6,7 Use medications in combination with resting in a quiet, dark room and avoiding movement or activity.⁶ Talk to a doctor or pharmacist to find out more about treatment.
• Rest and sleep. Some migraine sufferers find resting and sleeping can help.^6,8
• Prevention. Preventing the onset of a migraine is always the best course. Try to identify your personal migraine triggers (these could be certain foods, smells, or other environmental factors), and then avoid them as much as possible.^1,3,7

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