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 ?
Comments
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.
But ultimately see your local quack!
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
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.
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
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.
No proof it will help, but no downside either.
(I hold shares in the company that discovered it)
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.
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.