Migraines are leaving people frustrated as well as in pain
Migraine sufferers say the most annoying thing about a migraine is people who think it's just a headache, according to new research.
The study confirms the debilitating impact migraines can have on sufferers, with 46 per cent saying they cannot function normally during an attack, and 45 per cent taking at least one day to fully recover from a migraine.
As a coping strategy for migraines, more than half admit lying in a darkened room and waiting for the attack to subside, while 42 per cent believe that sleep is one of the best cures.
Despite this, only a quarter of sufferers admit proactively trying to prevent attacks by avoiding triggers and keeping a treatment handy, while more than 60 per cent only seek a treatment once they feel the onset of an attack.
The new survey of 1,500 migraine sufferers, by specialist migraine treatment Imigran Recovery, found nearly 60 per cent of migraine sufferers rely on paracetamol or ibuprofen to treat the pain and 25 per cent take aspirin to provide relief.
Community pharmacist and Independent NHS consultant, Ash Soni said: “For sufferers not finding adequate relief from analgesics, there are specialist migraine treatments available such as sumatriptan, which can relive an attack quickly with just one or two tablets. It’s also important that sufferers take preventative steps between migraines. I often suggest starting with a migraine diary to help pinpoint the triggers. Small lifestyle changes will often help.
Here are my five tips for helping to prevent migraines:
- Take regular exercise – a daily workout can be helpful for many people who experience migraine attacks
- Keep your sleeping habits regular – make sure you go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time in the morning.
- Eat a healthy diet – it’s important to eat your meals on a regular schedule and always keep a bottle of water and snack handy to avoid dehydration
- Reduce stress – learning stress management techniques can help to reduce the likelihood of triggering a migraine
- Avoid too much caffeine – caffeine constricts the blood vessels in the brain and can trigger a migraine”
Experts believe that the widening of blood vessels in the brain causes the throbbing pain of migraine. Sumatriptan relieves this pain and the other common symptoms by causing the blood vessels in the brain to narrow. Imigran Recovery contains the active ingredient sumatriptan and is available over-the-counter from pharmacies nationwide.