“Please don’t tell me to drink more water.”€¦ · There is a more intensive approach for patients with the most stubborn migraines – the kind that don’t respond to usual

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“Please don’t tell me to drink more water.”

Okay. But you’re close.

The vast majority of migraine patients go to their doctors begging

for treatment for migraines that will alleviate head and neck pain,

nausea and sensory overload. The doctor writes a prescription,

usually for a triptan like Imitrex, and the patient feels in

control. However, that control can be short-lived if migraine

triggers aren’t discovered and effectively managed.

Internists, neurologists, chiropractors, dentists, ophthalmologists,

nutritionists, neuromuscular therapists, psychiatrists, physical

therapists, acupuncturists, biofeedback specialists, herbalists and

more believe they have the magic bullet cure for your migraines.

The truth is that they all do -- and none of them do. They all know

a piece of the puzzle; only you can see how it comes together in

your own body and mind. And because we’re all different, what

works for you may not work for me and vice versa.

That said, there is no cure-all. It’s a genetic neurological

condition, complicated by internal and external triggers, that has

no widely accepted cure. We believe that you can manage your

migraines and greatly reduce the number of migraine days each

month and each year with a proactive approach. That approach

can be complicated, or it can be simple – it depends how severe

“If migraines

were such an

easy puzzle to

solve, there

wouldn’t be so

many people

trying.”


your migraine problem is and how much time, money and effort

you’re willing to invest.

We do encourage people to invest time and effort to learn more

about migraines – because the costs are not insignificant. Lost

workdays, higher insurance and medical costs, missed family

experiences and more: it adds up. A little effort pays off big time.

Here’s the best part. This is free.

If you want to take the simple approach to managing your

migraines, we’ve identified three things you can start doing today

that will dramatically reduce your risk of migraines. They are:

! #1 Hydration

! #2 is not as fast

! #3 is not as easy

Hydration isn’t going to be as effective as a triptan in stopping an

attack in progress – although it can certainly help. As a daily

healthy habit, this preventative treatment is going to decrease

your risk for the next migraine. The reason why no one is selling it

in a television campaign or giving free samples to your doctor to

prescribe is because there is little money to be made in hydration,

not because it doesn’t work.

Like most people, you probably believe that you are drinking

enough water. However, drinking water is not the full hydration

“The #1

easiest, fastest

treatment for

migraines is to

hydrate more,

and dehydrate

less.”


picture. It’s about taking in as much as you’re losing. Losing more

fluid than we realize is what we’ll call stealth dehydration.

Migraine patients, like the elderly, infants and kidney patients,

cannot afford to get dehydrated, even a little. For us, stealth

dehydration produces painful consequences.

There is a more intensive approach for patients with the most

stubborn migraines – the kind that don’t respond to usual

treatments. The Pareto Principle seems to apply to migraines too:

80% of the people can be helped with the simple approach

requiring 20% of the treatments available; and the remaining 20%

will need all the treatments available.

This resource is designed to help 80% of migraine sufferers most

of the time; and the remaining 20% will benefit too, but will need


additional forms of treatment to get control of the most stubborn,

chronic migraine cases.

As with all medical advice, remember: we are not doctors, just

fellow migraine sufferers with decades of trial, error, research and

success. You should always consult your physician before

adopting a new course of treatment.

Could You Be Dehydrated?

How do you know? It’s not just about being thirsty. Do these

quick tests:

1 – Go to the bathroom. Is your urine light yellow?

2 – Examine your arm skin. Is it moist and supple when pinched?

3 – Think about your bowel movements in the past 2 days. Did

you have one? And pass stools without any strain at all?

If you answered no to any one of these questions, you may be

dehydrated and not even know it.

According to WebMD and The Mayo Clinic, you’ll experience these

symptoms if you have mild or moderate dehydration:

• Darker Urine

• Constipation

• Dry/Cracked Skin


• Dried Mucous

• Dry Mouth / Parched Throat

• Dry Eyes

• Moody

• Sleepiness

• Muscle Cramping

Humans were designed to be like grapes, not raisins. The human

body is 65% water. Dehydration occurs when we lose more water

than we take in.

Good hydration is essential for good health, whether or not you’re

at risk for migraines. Dehydration is a significant, controllable

migraine trigger. The trouble is often realizing what dehydrates

you, and that you’re dehydrated at all. As soon as you feel like

you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.


Dehydration Facts

• To estimate your daily fluid needs, divide your weight in

pounds by two to determine your ounces.

• How much water we each need depends on four factors:

o How much we perspire.

o How much we urinate.

o How much we defecate.

o How often we breathe.

• Situations that require increased water intake:

o Exercise

o Hot weather

o High Altitude

o Air Travel

o Illness (cold, flu, fever, vomiting, diarrhea)

o Chronic Disease (alcoholism, kidney disease,

diabetes, cystic fibrosis, adrenal problems)

• Fluid replacement does not have to be from drinking eight

glasses of water. Some sources recommend a mix from

beverages and water-intensive foods.

“Every 24 hours, our bodies lose an average of 64-80 oz. of

fluids that need replacement.”


Migraine Triggers, Treatments and

Dehydration

Closer examination of the most common migraine

triggers reveals something interesting: several increase your risk

of dehydration.

Remember that migraine triggers are additive. Every person has a

migraine threshold; the lower your threshold, the more sensitive

you are to migraine triggers. Thresholds are genetic, but can be

adjusted through preventative measures. Triggers vary by

person, and over time. If your personal migraine triggers exceed

your migraine threshold, you will get a migraine attack.

While there are a multitude of migraine triggers, several are

directly related to hydration.

Weather

o High Altitude

o High Heat and Humidity

o Air Travel


Hormones

o Menstruation

o Menopause

Stress

o Exercise

o Dehydration

Food and Drink

o Caffeine

o Alcohol

o High protein Diets

These represent over half of all identified migraine triggers. Since

hydration is a common thread among the most common migraine

triggers, it makes sense that controlling hydration levels can

greatly reduce our migraine risk.

For a complete list

of common

migraine triggers,

go to

MigraineAgain.com.


A few migraine treatments actually increase dehydration, and

boost the need for greater hydration.

Hot Baths and Showers –These zap water from your skin, and

hide how much sweat you’re producing.

Hydrotherapy – These treatments can further dry out your skin.

Massage – Fluid is shifted from your muscles to waste.


Are You Getting Enough Fluids?

Don’t let perception be your reality – take a few days and check

yourself out. First, identify how much fluid you’ll need under

ordinary circumstances, e.g. 100 ounces for a 200-pound person.

There are two ways to easily monitor your fluid intake:

1 – Track It – Using an app like Daily Water, check off every time

you consume a full glass or bottle of water, coffee, juice, tea or

soda. Make a note if your glass or bottle is more or less than an

8-ounce serving. Do this for three days and add it up, taking an

average.

2 – Set a Goal – Fill two or more 64 ounce pitchers with water.

Your goal is to empty your pitchers. Repeat a few days until it

feels natural.

Boost your hydration level with water-intensive fruits and

vegetables. All plant-based foods are 60-80% water, and they

release that water into your system on a delayed basis, much

slower than a beverage.


Five foods, according to LiveStrong, that are great choices to

increase your hydration:

o Watermelon

o Cantaloupe

o Oatmeal

o Cucumbers

o Apples and Applesauce

Stealth Dehydration in Real Life

When you have a busier-than-usual kind of day, stealth

dehydration is most likely to occur. That’s losing more fluid than

we take in. As soon as you start exerting yourself more (both

physically and mentally), your intake of protein and water has to

go up as well. It’s not only exercise that makes you dehydrated,

but mental stress as well.


Here’s an example of one migraine pattern, and how dehydration

plays a pivotal role.

Saturday Syndrome Migraine

The Scene: You start your weekend sleeping in, then play

tennis/hike/bike on a hot, humid day in the sun, down a couple of

iced teas, and come home to clean up in a hot shower. Next thing

you know, you've got a massive migraine that wipes out the rest

of your weekend plans.

What Happened: Sleep inconsistency + Exercise + heat + humidity

+ bright sun + caffeine + hot shower = 7 triggers, 5 related to

hydration.

How to Avoid It:

o Get up at the same time as you do on weekdays

o Eat a banana and sports drink before exercising to boost

electrolyte levels

o Drink more water while exercising and after

o Wear UV-blocking glasses

o Eliminate caffeine if possible

o Take a tepid instead of a hot shower

Dehydration alone probably won’t cause a migraine attack, but

rebalancing fluid intake vs. output can alleviate one. Hydration is

For more migraine

patterns and how

to avoid them,

check out

MigraineAgain.com/

patterns.


an easy, fast and free preventative measure to reduce your risk of

the next migraine.

Good Hydration Strategies

Here are 13 strategies that will help boost your water and fluid

intake on a daily basis:

1 – Bedside Water – Put a carafe and glass on your nightstand.

2 – Bottle Before Breakfast – Drink water before coffee or tea.

3 – A Better Breakfast – Fruit, oatmeal or our Migraine Shake.

4 – Workout Water – Replenish with coconut water or sports

drinks.

5– Commuter Cup – Substitute water for your commuter cup.

6 – Water at Work or School – Move near the water cooler.

7 – Don’t Leave Home Without It – Take a bottle everywhere.

8 – Drive Through Water – Stop in Starbucks and McDonalds.


9– Drink Before Meals – Feel full and eat less.

10 – Dilute Your Juice or Tea – Substitute half water or seltzer.

11 – Add Fruit To Your Water – Citrus, Cucumber or Melon.

12 – Take Water Into the Bath or Shower – Hot tub too.

13 – Use An App – Let the Daily Water app remind you every

hour.


Be Encouraged

Master healthy hydration habits today, and reduce your

migraines tomorrow. Good hydration will not only help your

migraines, but also help your digestion, weight, skin texture and

overall health.

Like every habit, it takes 30 days to master, and tends to be more

effective when you write it down. You can use our Personal

Migraine Diary on MigraineAgain.com, keep notes on your phone

or in a notepad. Keep with it, and you’ll find that you can control

your migraines instead of them controlling you.

It’s the #1 easiest, fastest thing you can do to manage your

migraines.


Sources

MayoClinic.com

WebMD.com

HealthCentral.com

HuffingtonPost.com

Healthline.com

LiveStrong.com

About the Author

Paula K. Dumas is a migraineur and chronic optimist who is smiling whenever she’s not in pain. As Community Leader and MigraineAgain.com Editor in Chief, Paula’s passion is to help migraine and headache patients and their families live richer, saner lives by learning how to manage the disease of migraines.

MigraineAgain.com is a community of migraineurs and headache patients, and those who love them. It’s a supportive and authentic environment where people can find the most effective migraine and headache relief solutions for more migraine-free days. Our aim is to help you improve your health and relationships (and save money) by providing you with practical solutions, engaging community and effective tools.

Documents

“Please don’t tell me to drink more water.”€¦ · There is a more intensive approach for patients with the most stubborn migraines – the kind that don’t respond to usual