How are migraine headaches diagnosed?
If you have a family record of migraines or develop related symptoms, consult with the doctor. He or she may diagnose your condition and prescribe migraine treatments accordingly. Your doctor may diagnose your condition through some tests that may confirm if you have a migraine. These tests may include the following-
- CT scan
CT scan generates comprehensive and cross-sectional pictures of the brain. For this, it uses a chain of X-rays. These pictures can help your doctor to rule out brain damage, tumors, bleeding in the brain, infections, or other potential medical diseases that may result in causing migraine.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
MRI uses radio waves and a potent magnetic field to generate in-depth images of the blood vessels and the brain. Like CT scans, MRIs also help look for a brain injury, tumor, bleeding in the brain, infections, and other potential medical issues, which may cause migraines.
Migraine treatments may rely upon the cause and severity of your symptoms. However, your doctor may work to stop the development of the symptoms and prevent future headaches. Migraine medicine may include pain relievers, lasmiditan, triptans, dihydroergotamine, anti-nausea drugs, and ubrogepant. However, it is advisable to consult with your doctor before taking any of the medicines.
How can I adjust my lifestyle for migraines?
When you feel like having a migraine, don’t let the symptoms become poor. Move to a dark and calm room, close your eyes, sleep for a while or take a rest. Keep an ice pack or a cool cloth at the back, neck, or on your forehead.
In addition to doing this, consult with the doctor for supportive lifestyle adjustments. You can try the following to reduce the effect of the migraine or prevent developing the condition-
- Frame a schedule
Fix your schedule. Eat, sleep, rest, and do your other tasks at the same timings. It will help your brain to predict the following tasks and prevent developing a migraine.
- Do regular exercises
Regular exercises can help avoid migraines. Along with taking migraine treatments, do aerobic exercises like jogging, walking, and swimming regularly to bring successful results to your treatment.
- Try relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, and biofeedback can help decrease the frequency of developing a migraine headache. It may help you learn how to handle stressful situations and ways to deal with them.
- Maintain a record of when you develop a migraine headache
Keep a diary and maintain a record of headaches you develop. Also, mention the day on which you experienced it, the food you ate, the things you did that day, and everything that you suspect may trigger the condition in a diary. Doing this will help you identify more potential triggers, and once you know that, avoid them to avoid headaches.
Always consult with the doctor before you start taking or giving up any migraine medicine or any lifestyle if you have the condition. Keep taking your migraine treatments and following the lifestyle shifts in order to prevent future health consequences.
