General Chat

I have suffered from migraine for about 20 years and have often tried to work out what the trigger is. Over the years I have thought it could be any of the following:-

Cheese
Chocolate
Alcohol
Fish
Food additives
Bright Sunlight
Flashing Lights
Strong Smells
Air conditioning
Too much sleep
Too little sleep
Stress
Wearing a hat (in winter)
Not wearing a hat (in summer)
Dehydration

I now think I have finally found it.

I have very thick, heavy hair which I have always wanted to grow long. For many years I have been trying to grow it but it grows so slowly and my hairdresser was always cutting it a bit shorter than I liked. Finally, in frustration, I told her to cut it really short. And – hey presto – no more migraine.

Can anyone confirm if this is possibly true?

hi beverley, i also have very thick hair and also suffer from migraines often lasting up to 2 days. nothing will get rid of the pain except to put a heat wrap in the microwave and place over forehead and try to sleep where i wont be disturbed. with oh and two teenagers not always possible.

but re the hair, when my hair gets to shoulder length after my annual perm has grown out, my hair is very heavy and sure enough i get more headaches then. once i have been and had a major cut i always feel a lot lighter and the headaches are less frequent. so there could be something in this. have to say i have considered it before but not really ever asked anyone else if its the same for them.

all of the reasons you listed cause some or most of my migraines. if im out all day shopping etc i now try to eat little snacks and drink plenty as this sometimes keeps it at bay.

good to know im not the only one that suffers.

good luck florence

Hi Florence

So, I'm not the only one - lol.
I thought I may be clutching at straws but it's the only thing that makes sense to me. I have, in the past, had two migraines per week at the worst and about two per month at best but this must be the longest without even the feeling that I have beaten one off.

I should imagine it would be something to do with the drag on the forehead and eyes because that's where my pain seems to start.

Thanks for the feedback
Beverley

My sons was tap water ......

but hair !!! I think!! the hair dresser moved you neck and "cracked" a bone in your neck and solved it

Bit like using a osteopath !!!!

By the way THIS IS NORMAL and I dont mean your neck is broken!!!!.....lol

I used to get severe headaches, always thought it was sinus headaches as my nose was always blocked on one side, pain lasting upto three days, sometimes when the pain went it would come back on the other side of my nose and the headache would last another three days, saw a ENT consultant years ago who said they were migraine headaches, anyways, since going thro the menopause these headaches have subsided quite a lot, I have been told that migraine headaches can be caused by hormonal changes.

I had thought maybe the menopause may have 'cured' me but I like my 'hair' theory better :-)))

Not sure about the broken neck though - sounds scary to me and I'm sure I would have noticed if my hairdresser had done something like that (She can be a bit vicious at times). Mind you - I have had shoulder and neck-ache for a while but it's better than migraine.

For me it was hairspray, petrol fumes, paintstripper fumes etc.
have you tried acupuncture? It worked for me and would probably be available on the NHS.

I found the same Jean, after the menopause they stopped. I used to get them a week before my period and they would last nearly a week so I am sure they were hormonal. I still think some of the triggers mentioned made them worse though and stuffy rooms at work. I would get them other times if I was where there was any cigarette smoke.

I used to get migraines every weekend, usually coming on about 3 - 4 am on a saturday. I cured it by moving out of London (croydon) and back home to Devonshire. I have n't had a headache in ten years but all the tourists are a severe pain in the a**e.

Mine sounds just like yours Jean.

Started getting migraines when I was a young teenager. Had various types of medical treatments over the years but nothing helped.

Tried cutting out various known *triggers* but still suffered with them continuously for the following 30+ years until I started the menopause......very rarely get a headache at all now.

So, I now might be getting a hairy chin......but at least I am a migraine free hairy woman! LOL

Mary

I read recently about migraines being caused by de-stressing which would make sense for Eddie. Apparently, we get stressed out all week and when the weekend arrives and we relax, bang - a migraine. Obviously the final de-stress (moving out of London) made the difference.

LOL @ Eddie and the tourists!

Mary

i get migraine's, AND have long thick hair...but it's not that, I used to have short hair and it made no difference whatsoever when I grew it.

I find most of mine are hormone related though, and menopause hasn't made any difference, as the hormones are all out of kilter. Weather can trigger one. Prior to a storm, I often get headaches on the right hand side, and if I don't catch that in time, it will trigger the left hand migraine.

For me I dont' think it's lack of or too much sleep, though I can have one if I've slept too heavily, waking up feeling foggy and groggy is usually the first sign that one is coming on. I also know that the next night, when I'm through the worst of it, I won't sleep much at all, probably still up at 4.00am. (OK in summer not so good in winter lol. So it does play havoc with my sleep patterns.

I will say though, as I work through the menopause, they don't seem to be as severe as they were, where I would feel like my head was going to fall off if I moved at all, can't cough, can barely speak or open my eyes, every small sound is like Big Ben rattling in my head, and light...ooo the light ouch.. Haven't had one of those for ages (touch wood)

LOL at Contrary Mary.

jean