How Migraines Affect The Body: Everything You Need To Know
Migraine is a really disgusting state. It restricts people from being happy and active. Migraine headache is always a reason for missing or leaving the most memorable moments unenjoyable in our life. The impact of migraine on a person is really notable. It begins from a silly squabble with your friend and maybe ends up on a frozen family. The impact of migraine is in a wide range.
What Is Migraine?
Migraine is a state of throbbing headache accompanying further symptoms like nausea, dizziness, imbalance, loss of coordination, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, confusion in day to day affairs, numbness in body parts, blurred vision, food cravings, constipation, depression, uncontrolled yawning, anxiety, poor sleep, ear, and sinus pressure, and whatnot. Being a complex neurological disease, migraine can affect the entire nervous system and so as all body parts. Usually, we cannot relate these widespread symptoms to migraine as we are expecting them to be.
What Causes Migraine?
People believe that being a neurological disease, migraine has nothing to do with our lifestyle. There are genetic and environmental factors as the primary cause of migraine. There are common factors that trigger migraine too. Certain food items, stressful lifestyle, starvation, an overdose of alcohol and caffeine, hormonal changes, climate change, lack of sleep or much sleep, very bright lights, loud noise, and unusual smells are few among them.
Impact Of Migraine
Migraine is a common disorder. It affects 12% of the global population. Migraine can cause varieties of impacts in the social as well as personal living of individuals.
- Migraine and health…
Migraine can have a notable influence on one’s overall health. The major symptom of migraine, a severe headache turns all the bodily actions to slow mode. It reduces the metabolic rate and the person feels dizzy and inability to perform day-to-day things. Studies prove that long-term migraine can cause lesions in brain cells which can be prevented by proper medication.
- Psychological impacts of migraine.
Anxiety and depression are common in migraine patients. American Migraine Foundation reports that people with Migraine may develop depression 5 times more than people without migraine. When it comes to anxiety it is 25 times.
- Economic impacts of migraine
Human resources matter to the economy and finance of each country. They are the most productive resource of all. Approximately 12% of people are suffering from migraine and related problems in the global scenario. But, the American toll is high. As per the surveys, more than 30 million people have 1 or more migraine headaches per year. The national percentage falls to 14 to 16 %. One in 10 men and 1 in 5 women are facing, migraine problems in the American workforce.
Migraine takes 1 to 4 working days of migraine patients per year. Other days they are working for not taking leave and the quality and productivity of work gets compromised. As per the survey results, 113 working days costing $13 billion dollars, are lost a year just because of migraine. Careers of more than 20 % of people with migraine are getting affected negatively as they have a tendency to reduce working hours, miss work, and continue inquiry for better jobs that are comfortable for not to trigger migraine. They are facing the threat of losing jobs too because of the proven inefficiency.
- Migraine and family life
The intensity of migraine pain cannot allow you to keep a smiling face throughout the day. It will make you even more sensitive to light and even the babbling of your kids. So a migraine patient is a real headache for the other family members. The most affected relation is the spousal relationship. A partner who cannot perform his own responsibilities cannot maintain a healthy relationship. According to different surveys, 60% of migraine patients believed that their families are affected.
Most people with migraine complained that their family members are showing a negative attitude and that makes the depression severe. Children are the victims of their parents’ migraine. They miss the parental care and support during the suffering hours of their mother or father. Another reason for weakening marital relations is that migraines cause problems in sexual relations too.
- Impacts on Academics
Migraine is very common in children too. 10% of children aged 5 to 10 and 28% of teenagers are suffering from migraine and related issues in the US. As a disorder that can disturb and chase the patient, it can have a negative impact on children’s academics and holistic development. School absence, disability to concentrate, and irregular follow-up show a negative impact in attaining academic goals. This will be visible in high school grade point average and probability of attending college.
- Migraine and Social Life
Man is a social being and has to maintain healthy relations in society. We can call a person ‘’social’’ only when he possessed the qualities like a smiling face, peaceful words, a supportive attitude, and the ability to enjoy closeness, sharing, and togetherness. All these qualities will be questioned due to migraine. A person with migraine cannot behave as politely as others as the intensity of their sufferings are too much. We cannot keep a promise as a migraine attack can easily wreck up our plans for the day.
Misunderstandings and sudden changes in the behavior can result in even breaking-ups. A survey conducted among people with migraine reports that 59% are not participating in any hobbies or physical activities even if they want to. 52 % are missing important events in their life. 50% are not interested to make relationships as they wanted to minimize their commitments.
For A Migraine-Free Life
Migraine is not a curable disease. But proper medication as per the direction of an experienced doctor and a lifestyle that cannot trigger migraine can help you to lead a life with reduced migraine difficulties. Hydrating yourself throughout the day is very important in keeping the hormonal level and metabolic activities balanced.
Conclusion
Hydration can also prevent you from developing a sudden migraine headache. Resting in a quiet dark room can reduce the pain for an instant although it is not a practical solution in all circumstances. Applying hot water or an ice water pack on your forehead or back neck can also give the same result. A stress-free life can do a lot. Lead a stress-free life by using proper time management and stress management strategies, avoid migraine-triggering food items, and proper exercise and medication can help you from the frequent torture of migraine.
PainPathways Magazine
PainPathways is the first, only and ultimate pain magazine. First published in spring 2008, PainPathways is the culmination of the vision of Richard L. Rauck, MD, to provide a shared resource for people living with and caring for others in pain. This quarterly resource not only provides in-depth information on current treatments, therapies and research studies but also connects people who live with pain, both personally and professionally.
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