If you’re one of 37 million Americans who experience migraines, then you understand how disruptive they can be. Lasting between an hour to multiple days, migraines can affect our social lives, vacation, and can even endanger our worklife.
A new app from Mountain View, California-based Second Opinion Health, is trying to help. Using machine learning, Mountain View’s Migraine Alert collects various correlative triggers input by the user, and utilizes this data to predict when the next migraine episode is going to happen. Migraines present several difficulties in regards to treatment, and diagnosis, so Mountain View’s app will be a welcome tool for many Migraine sufferers.
In the spirit of migraine prevention, here are four tips that may help you avoid migraines in the future.
Quit Smoking
Not only is smoking bad for your heart, gums, and teeth, it’s bad for your migraines as well. According to a study published in the Journal of Headache and Pain, smoking more than five cigarettes a day can provoke attacks.
Avoid “Trigger” Foods
If you’re a longtime migraine sufferer, you probably know what they are: alcohol, chocolate, and dairy products. The problem is that different bodies respond to different foods. Many who have regular migraines are also sensitive to MSG and caffeine. To most effectively diagnose your trigger foods, maintain a food diary or app capable of tracking your diet. In this way, you will be able to determine what foods your body reacts negatively to.
Establish a Consistent Sleep Schedule
One of the most common headache triggers can be lack of sleep. This is because common regions of the brain control sleep, headaches, and mood, and when these misfire, possibly due to lack of sleep, a migraine can be the result. If you are consistently waking up tired or groggy, it could be due to other factors such as sleep apnea. Getting your sleep apnea treated can reduce the length, frequency, and severity of your migraines.
See a Dentist
Because migraines are not one condition but a nebula of symptoms, they are incredibly difficult to recognize, diagnose, and treat. If you feel as if you’ve tried everything to treat your migraines, then it may be time to see a dentist.
TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) has been known to cause tension headaches and migraine-like symptoms in many patients. Although a causal link between migraines and TMJ has not been proven, culprits such as the overstimulation of the trigeminal nerve, which can release vasoconstrictors into the bloodstream causing swelling and pain, have been identified.
If you regularly experience jaw pain or soreness in the neck, it might be time to schedule an appointment. There are several drug-free TMJ treatments that may reduce the frequency of your headaches.
Don’t let the difficulty of migraines hurt your quality of life. Please call (914) 526-2144 today for an appointment with one of our Westchester County dentists.
