Night time migraines

buckshee

so anyway I've suffered on and off with migraines for years but I can live with that but over the last week and a half I've started waking up at night with them and they don't go until about an hour after I get up.

Nothing has changed life wise in the last week and I've tried all the usual (drinking more water and the like) but still they are coming . Got to the point I'm dreading going to bed at night.

Anyone else ever suffered like this ? If so what can I do ?

Leroy Ambrose

Try changing your sleep pattern.
Go to bed earlier or later.
Try sleeping less or more in general.
Try sleeping in 3 hour 'bursts'.
Get a memory foam pillow and mattress (by far the most valuable thing I've ever bought).
Sleep on your side, not your back or front (and put a pillow between your knees to release tension in your lower back).
Try sleeping with your arm under the pillow (works well for me).
Get your blood pressure checked - I'm convinced that migraines are caused by problems with the blood vessels constricting blood flow to the brain (though there's no proof of this yet).

I sympathise with you entirely. I've had migraines since I was a kid, and by far the worst are the ones that come on at night.

I-SAW-POUSO-PLAY

Not to worry you Buckshee but have you ever had a brain scan?

Macronate

Respectfully, I would seek medical advice.

buckshee

Leroy thanks but I should also add that I have 6 month twins so my sleep patern is dictated by them a bit , don't think the migraines are due to this though as they've only started in the last week.

The Mrs keeps telling me to go to the Docs but then considering how much women go on about blokes being moany when sick they're never out of the bloody Doctors surgery

Mendonca In Asdas

Hi Buckshee sorry to hear about your migranes, I have had quite a few over the years, just a thought have you had an eye test recently?

Greenie

I Get them, and some are stinkers, agree with Leroy on some of his answers, do you drink enough water, I have been told that dehydration contributes to migraines, I have been drinking a lot of water in the last 3 months and the migraines have become less frequent, also take regular eye breaks from the computer.
But ultimately see your local quack!

buckshee

when I started getting them last week I thought maybe it was a lack of water so I drank about 4-5 litres the mext day and apart from p*****g like a racehorse all day there was no improvement 

don't use the computer that much , only on it today as I'm waiting for a client to ring about attending a job

looks like a trip to the doctors is on the cards

Robert

Leeroy, there is some evidence to suggest the blood vesdels dilating may be the cause of the problem...

I would go to the gp, although if you dont want to, go to boots and get sumitriptan, that will help during a migraine if its really bad. Try to reduce foods and drinks such as red wine and cheese. Has your vision changed recently...as inapropriate glasses/contacts may to be to blame

billy cotton

have you tried imigran recovery?  it doesn't stop them but it certainly reduces them.  i used to have ones that lasted for days - now if i take an imigran recovery as soon as the kaleidoscope stuff starts in my eyes, it makes the visual thing go away much sooner and reduces the headache to bearable.  you used to only be able to get them from the docs, now they're available over the counter. 

Robert

Imigran recovery is sumitriptan

willieduff

I have suffered with Migraines for years. The best thing I have found is Migralieve Tablets works every time for me, take them as soon as your eyesight becomes disturbed. It clears the vision up within ten minutes or so and greatly reduces the headache.

 

Hope this helps.

buckshee

never got the whole blurred vision thing with mine , just fierce pain and feel sick.

AFKABartram

Leroy thanks but I should also add that I have 6 month twins so my sleep patern is dictated by them a bit , don't think the migraines are due to this though as they've only started in the last week

You say that mate, but with my two I was getting a max of 4 hours sleep for the first six months and didn't feel too bad. About that point when the feeds eased off and they started sleeping a little longer, I started to approach getting a normal night sleep again and that is when it hit me. It felt like I had hit the wall and felt permanently shattered for the next few months, despite getting decent sleep. Only really now starting to come out the other side.

I'd definately get it checked out with the quack though mate

fadgadget

I get them in the mornings , i find that if i sleep well the night before it will bring on one , usually last for 3 days , no pain killer ive tried will touch em and the docs have been no help , i just learned to tolerate them and get on with things the best i can . 

Greenie

I have suffered with Migraines for years. The best thing I have found is Migralieve Tablets works every time for me, take them as soon as your eyesight becomes disturbed. It clears the vision up within ten minutes or so and greatly reduces the headache.

 

Hope this helps.

Same as me, Migralieve work best. As soon as I lose half my vision in my left eye, its a cross between looking into a cracked mirror and a kalidescope, I pop one of the pink pills and it stops after half hour, still get the belter of headaches for up to two days. Had one start when I was belting down the M20 on my motorbike once, not nice!!

Salad

definitely go to the doctor.

Many people suffer with migraines, probably with many different triggers.

My Dad used to suffer regularly until he started taking Feverfew - he chews a leaf or two a day (it grows as a weed in his garden) and he only gets a migraine every couple of months now; you can buy it as a supplement also. I'd suggest looking into it and maybe trying for a few weeks.

It probably won't work for you, but if you try some other remedies you might come across one that does.

 

Strasburger

I have suffered with Migraines for years. The best thing I have found is Migralieve Tablets works every time for me, take them as soon as your eyesight becomes disturbed. It clears the vision up within ten minutes or so and greatly reduces the headache.

 

Hope this helps.

This is what I was given in France when I lived out there along with a French version of sumitriptan (the same I am sure) and I have only had 2 or 3 over the last few years.  It was weekly at its worst point.

I always out off going the the doctors but in France I had to go for work, and it was the best thing I could have done.

Make the trip and they will find away to help you

kentaddick

Haven't had one for a few years, but had them really bad at one point. They just started when i was about 12 and got really intense (once a week, usually after games lessons) was probably due to dehydration but they were horrible. Went pretty much blind on one side of my vision and had numbness from my little finger up the side of an arm. Then after that i would start being sick. Haven't had one since about 16 and I'm 20 now, so was probably just an adolescence thing, but i make sure to keep hydrated at all times.

Crusty54

Diet. Cheese, chocolate and peanuts to be avoided. Stress appears to be a factor.

IdleHans

Not a migraine sufferer myself, though my son is. You might try drinking Sirco - it contains a tomato extract which smooths the blood platelets, much as aspirin does but without the harmful side effects. Its main benefits are for heart health and circulation (first EFSA approved functional food ingredient), but some sources say migraines are caused by poor blood flow in the brain. Sirco would address this to some extent so it may be helpful. It's widely available in Sainsburys, Waitrose etc, and is basically a pure fruit juice with a special tomato extract.
No proof it will help, but no downside either.

(I hold shares in the company that discovered it)

chablis addick

Go to the doctor and get a proper diagnosis. It may be nothing but at least you'll have had it properly checked.

Covered End

Buckshee, could it be caused by additional stress ? You said last week that you were really worried for your family due to the rioting. This could perhaps have triggered it. How to de-stress of course is another matter. Perhaps, a break of some kind ?

buckshee

no additional stress to be honest 

I often get migraines in the sun and heat so I'm gonna wait and see what happens once the weather cools and then decide whether to call the Dr

bc_addick

As a sufferer of totally debilitating migraines myself I can really sympathise. The biggest problem is that every sufferer has different triggers so it's really difficult to say what to avoid or do. I often get them when I relax after a stressfull week for instance. Cheese and chocolate is a probably bit of a myth for most but does seem to effect some. My best solution is shutting my brain down by getting to sleep as soon as possible after taking a maxalt melt which disolves on the tongue. Of course if they come when you are asleep that may not be much help. The Migraine association site may also offer some help. Good luck to all sufferers on CL and let's hope a real solution is found soon.

Stig

I sometimes get them.  For me they are always preceded by floaters in the eyes.  If I can drink a pint of water, take a couple of pain killers and get up to bed and asleep in about 20-30 minutes, then I'll be ok.  If not, its blinders for hours.    Not much help if you're asleep when it comes on I'm afraid.

Bigmac

That's really strange your sis always has a headache,must be a family thing! 

buckshee

That's really strange your sis always has a headache,must be a family thing! 

I wonder why 

Crusty54

Diet is a cause for many.

Used to work in an office with a vending machine with cheese rolls, chocolate and peanuts. 

Got migraines all the time.

Red wine implicated too

Blood vessels get enlarged and cause the pain.

Migraine means half head. Headache should only be on one side and effects like tingling in fingers on the other.

Anything else get to the doctor.

CatfordCat

I've had migraines since an early age, and while I've identified a few 'trigger factors' I've not managed to stop them completely.

Some triggers for different people include

• changes in the weather / atmospheric pressure / thunderstorms
  
• stress / tiredness (although migraine can often be a reaction after stress - e.g. Saturdays, or the day after the big event)
• being late / irregular for meals
• dehydration
• booze of some sort
• some foods - cheese, chocolate, fish, citrus fruits
• too much caffiene - or caffiene withdrawal (could be it if they come on overnight)
• may be related to a physical problem with back / neck muscles
• eye problems - e.g. not wearing glasses when you ought to, or glasses no longer being right for you
• eye-strain caused by bad lighting / too much time at computer (computers can also lead to back / neck problems)
  

Often, you need two or three triggers to get one.

It may be worth keeping a diary of migraines - what you did / ate the day before, and see if there's an obvious pattern.

There are a number of things a GP can try - there are some things you can take daily as a preventative (e.g. beta blockers) - these do help some people.  I've tended to find that the side effects (which can include headaches, tiredness and upset stomach in some people) are worse than getting migraines...

Best of luck.

GoOnYouHaddocks

I get an attack every year, round about May or June. The attacks last for a few days to a few weeks. Thay always start between about 1am and 3am, last for about 10 hours, and are complete agony.
I've got quite a high pain threshold, but the pain is unbelievable. the left side of my head feels like it's imploding and my left eye feels like a hot poker is being pushed into it.

It's caused by the veins in your brain constricting and not allowing blood to flow properly. All the blood builds up in the neck/shoulder area and all the muscles there go rock hard.

I often know when the yearly attacks are about to start as I sometimes see flashing lights coming from the side, and a slight numbness in my neck and shoulders.

I've found that migralieve does help, but with the pain and the lack of blood in the brain, I'm often too confused to actually take any.

Have a look at clusterheadaches.com, they've got lots of info, and other sufferers tell how it effects them, some people get attacks every single night!

Checking if a certain food or activity is causing the attacks is good advise, also get your eyes tested, but you might find that, like me, it's just something that happens and you have to just deal with it.