What is a migraine hangover

Do you suffer from migraines?  What about a migraine hangover?  Actually, what is a migraine hangover and how can you prevent it?

Migraines

Migraines are the worst – in fact, migraines suck!  If you’ve ever experienced one, you know what I mean.  Some symptoms of migraines are shooting / stabbing pains – mine feels like an ice pick through my eye.

Other symptoms are:

• Light sensitivity
• Feeling nauseous
• Inability to concentrate
• Inability to see clearly

What is a migraine hangover

So, that brings me to the migraine hangovers.  According to the Migraine Hangover Foundation, migraine hangovers are basically the after effects of a migraine.  Let me explain…

About a month ago, I experienced a migraine.  It was one of the worst and longer lasting migraines I ever experienced.  I had all the tell-tale signs – basically, all the ones I mentioned above.  It lasted for a good 4 days.  By the 5th day, the migraine was settling down but I had this tenderness on the side of my head – both sides.  The left side (which is the side my migraines usually start on) was more tender than the right.  It was the first time that I ever experienced this – or, at least it was the first time it was that noticeable.

This phase lasted for a few days.  The tenderness was very bothersome and I had a lot of trouble understanding things – like I really had to try hard to concentrate in order to function.  I had so little energy and all I wanted to do was sleep.  It was very debilitating.

What happened?

For many people, including me, I have migraine triggers.  There are certain foods that can get a migraine started for me.  One are food additives / preservatives.  Yes, that may sound strange but eating anything with MSG or nitrates / nitrites will trigger a migraine.  This is why I am always saying you need to eat well and drink lots of water.  To me, it’s not worth it to eat the junk but every now and then, you don’t realize something you ate had the ingredient that triggers your migraine.  Another trigger can be wine.

Migraines can be hormonal and if you are in your 30s or 40s, you may notice that you are experiencing them more often.  It’s because of this that I try to eat well, drink a lot of water, and avoid any trigger.  Pay attention to your migraines and think about what was happening prior to the onset of the migraine.

Another suggestion from the Migraine Hangover Foundation that I found helpful was to avoid overstimulation.  When you are in the midst of a migraine attack, don’t try to push through your to-do list or get that work out in that you’ve been wanting to do.  Take it easy and let your body rest.  Know better for next time so that it doesn’t turn into a severe migraine like mine did.

We all get busy and we need to slow down.  Take care of yourself and you won’t have to worry about what is a migraine hangover like I did.