Whether or not it’s one or two coffees to get us going within the morning or a bar of chocolate after a anxious day, many people self-medicate once we’re drained, stressed out or unhappy. But if we have now a headache, maximum folks head directly for the painkillers.
In recent years, regardless that, a viral hack has been making the rounds: that a huge Coca-Cola and fries can prevent a migraine in its tracks.
And oddly sufficient, it’s now not overall nonsense.
The caffeine in Coca-Cola acts as a vasoconstrictor, which means it narrows blood vessels. This is helping counteract the dilation of blood vessels that happens all over a migraine – a key cause for ache.
When vessels widen, they may be able to press on and turn on within reach pain-sensitive nerves, particularly the ones of the trigeminal device, which carries sensory details about contact, ache and temperature from the pinnacle and face to the mind, resulting in that acquainted throbbing headache. That’s why caffeine is steadily integrated in over the counter headache drugs.
In the meantime, the sugar and salt in Coke and fries would possibly assist repair stability to blood sugar and electrolytes, either one of which may also be disrupted all over a migraine assault.
However to in point of fact perceive why this combo may paintings, we wish to unpack what’s if truth be told taking place all over a migraine.
The 4 phases of migraine
Migraines may also be sparked through a variety of components: hormonal shifts, pressure, skipped foods, sure meals, even adjustments within the climate or visible overstimulation. However, as soon as one starts, it follows a particular pathway that makes it distinct from different kinds of complications.
A migraine isn’t any atypical headache. It’s a full-body revel in with 4 distinct phases – two of which take place earlier than the ache even hits. That implies there’s a window by which to forestall the episode in its tracks, and plenty of migraineurs (individuals who be afflicted by migraines) already self-medicate through doing simply that.
Prodrome
Prodrome is the primary level, which is able to start hours and even days earlier than the headache. Chances are you’ll really feel drained, irritable, or strangely low in temper. The general public who get migraines are unusually unhealthy at recognizing this segment, although it’s the most efficient time to interfere.
All over prodrome, other folks steadily crave sure issues. Many migraineurs record yawning extra, which is helping keep watch over dopamine, or searching for out hugs and affection, which spice up serotonin. Others may drink ice water to calm their autonomic fearful device. Others nonetheless may achieve for the massive Coke and fries.
Those responses aren’t random. All of those are subconscious makes an attempt to rebalance the neurological techniques that move haywire all over a migraine. Abnormal serotonin, dopamine and fearful device serve as are all recognized members to migraines.
And that brings us to arguably without equal migraine hack: chocolate. Whilst it’s every now and then blamed as a cause, chocolate is wealthy in compounds that assist elevate serotonin ranges.
As a result of low serotonin is a recognized consider migraine onset, a yearning for chocolate could be your mind’s means of correcting a chemical imbalance. For some other folks, slightly of chocolate within the early phases would possibly assist push back an assault.
Air of secrecy
Air of secrecy comes after the prodrome segment, and it’s when some other folks revel in visible disturbances like flashing lighting, or peculiar sensations like pins and needles. About 80% of migraine victims don’t revel in the air of secrecy segment, however the similar wave-like adjustments occur within their brains.
Those signs come from a burst {of electrical} task within the mind this is therefore suppressed, which alters blood glide and reasons the constriction of blood vessels. Whether or not an individual notices those results will depend on the construction and sensitivity in their cerebral cortex.
The mind will depend on a solid provide of blood for vitamins and oxygen — however direct touch with blood is poisonous to mind tissue. That’s why we have now the blood-brain barrier, a filter out that protects mind cells.
Ache
The ache comes subsequent. The physique takes vascular adjustments within the mind significantly and headache ache is a technique it warns us that one thing might be fallacious. Any disruption to blood glide – too little or an excessive amount of – is doubtlessly bad. A blocked vessel can result in ischemic stroke, whilst a ruptured vessel reasons hemorrhagic stroke.
The ache segment starts when previous blood vessel constriction offers solution to a rebound dilation. This unexpected widening of vessels turns on ache receptors — and voilà: the acquainted, throbbing ache of migraine – and it may be debilitating.
For many of us who be afflicted by migraines, as soon as the ache hits, meals is the very last thing on their thoughts. That’s why many flip to triptan drugs as an alternative of rapid meals, which rebalance serotonin and histamine (any other regulator of blood glide) as soon as the migraine is underway.
Postdrome
Postdrome kicks in after the worst of the pinnacle ache subsides. This migraine hangover is extra than simply feeling wiped out, regardless that – it’s a definite segment of a migraine assault. Identified medically because the postdrome segment, it follows as much as 80% of migraine assaults and will carry signs strikingly very similar to a conventional hangover: nausea, fatigue, dehydration, physique aches and psychological fog.
For many of us, this lingering segment may also be simply as disruptive because the migraine itself, making restoration a drawn-out and laborious procedure. It may take days or weeks to transition thru all 4 stages of a migraine.
Wisdom is prevention
Nonetheless, prevention is best than remedy and recognising the early indicators of a migraine, then responding in ways in which beef up the mind’s neurobiology, could make an enormous distinction.
Migraines are complicated, private and frustratingly unpredictable. However wisdom is energy. And whilst no unmarried answer works for everybody, recognising the prodrome segment and supporting your fearful device earlier than ache units in could also be your very best shot at warding off an assault.
Whether or not it’s recognising the yearning for chocolate as a organic wake-up call, sipping iced water, getting a hug, or sure – even achieving for a Coke and fries – those small interventions have roots in mind science. They mirror our physique’s efforts to give protection to itself. Growing your individual therapies in keeping with how your mind responds assist you to keep one step forward of the ache.
