Nicotine and Migraine Relief
A migraine is not your typical headache. Migraine sufferers may not be aware that there are a number of triggers they can avoid to prevent the onset of pain. Although red wine, aged cheese and chocolate are commonly-known culprits, one of the lesser-known triggers is nicotine and its relative, secondhand smoke.
How Do I Know If It's a Migraine?
Some of the most common signs and symptoms include severe pain on one or both sides of the head, nausea, dizziness, weakness, fatigue and sensitivity to bright lights, loud or sudden noises and/or motion changes.
The Caffeine/Nicotine Connection
For many patients, large amounts of caffeine may be a migraine trigger, but other patients experience some relief with moderate amounts. Migraines can also be triggered by sudden caffeine or nicotine withdrawal or by the irritants found in smoke of any kind.
Role of Food Cravings
This condition is usually experienced by dieters, pregnant women, those unable to eat at their accustomed mealtimes, and those who are suffering withdrawal from nicotine, alcohol, drugs or certain medications.
Target Your Triggers
In addition to regulating food intake and sleep schedule, migraine sufferers should keep an eye out for cigarette smoke. For many sufferers, even secondhand smoke is a known trigger. If you are a smoker, now is the time to quit.
Migraine Relief Tips
The key to receiving effective treatment is keeping the lines of communication open with your doctor. Because your relief needs change over time, it is helpful to keep a headache diary to notice any trends in eating, sleeping or other habits, like smoking, that could be triggers.
Tags: Migraine Relief, Nicotine Migraine, Nicotine Migraine Relief, secondhand smoke