we're heading towards some record setting humidity this summer so JUST A REMINDER that if you're in any way prone to migraines, this weather is great at triggering them! Be EXTREMELY diligent about staying hydrated if you're going out, EVEN TO AN AIR CONDITIONED SPACE, and ESPECIALLY if you are drinking any alcohol at all! even a single glass of wine or a cocktail! You will feel fine for an hour or two but then you will NOT FEEL FINE. If you have a headache that isn't responding to painkillers and it gets noticeably worse when you move or change elevations (sitting to standing, not like, going to the mountains) then drink a full glass of water and go lie down in a cool, quiet, dark room until it passes! DO NOT LOOK AT A SCREEN UNTIL THE DANGER HAS PASSED. I know you're bored but it could be so much worse!
I see this is going around again! Happy Migraine Season everybody! Remember to keep a damp washcloth in your freezer so that if you feel the migraine coming on you can lay down and press it against your forehead and temples to give yourself a better chance of ducking it before it's too late!
Also a reminder that for some folks, big changes in air pressure can also be a migraine trigger. So if youāre in an area that, like mine, is having a lot of really wild temperature swings (ie multiple very hot days that end abruptly with storms at which point it cools down a lot), might be a good idea to have your migraine remedies locked and loaded, because with migraines the sooner you intervene, the more likely it is youāll avert the worst symptoms (and will need less medication to do so).
If cold doesn't work for your migraines/makes them worse, get a heat pack- either those instant hand warmers or, better, a bag with rice that you can stick in the microwave for a minute. Slap that puppy on your eye or your neck (specifically around your sternocleidomastoid muscle/that tendon in your neck that gets stiff) and wham, instant relief.
I have the barometric pressure migraines and also generalized anxiety -- when I feel a migraine coming on from those flat white skies, I pop a clonazepam and an ibuprofen, pat some cold water at the crown of my head and the insides of my wrists, and lie down somewhere dark and cool with a heat pack behind my neck to nap (on my right side so the pills kick in faster). Sleeping mask on if the room's still too bright, night guard in so I don't grind my teeth -- Plackers makes little tiny soft dental guards that you can carry with you to use in a pinch.
