I feel horrible that I haven't been on here in over a week, but the barometric pressure has been wrecking havoc on my head. The Apron Strings are lucky they are still being fed on a daily basis.
I did a little research and found some interesting information. It looks like I need to check the "aches and pains" forecast, keep track of the effects of weather on my headaches, talk to my doctor, walk by a waterfall or river (or I guess I could buy an ionizer or humidifier), relax, meditate, get a massage, go to therapy, maybe some hypnosis or aromatherapy, do yoga, breathe in hot steam or soak my head in warm water. Well….I can go for the walk by the waterfall and a massage….BUT I am not soaking my head in warm water. Well, not today anyway.
How to handle the dreaded barometric pressure headache!
It's been fairly obvious throughout history that weather, and particularly changes in the weather, have an effect on your body. In spite of this long line of weather-sensitive individuals, scientists are still unsure why changes in weather cause headaches and other migraines. There is a theory, however, changes in pressure cause changes in oxygen levels.
It could be that blood vessels in your head expand or contract to compensate. Changes in the size of your blood vessels is part of the flow of changes that happen when you get a migraine headache. This is also why you may get a headache when flying, hiking, or even traveling to a new location.
Many researchers believe that it's not pressure alone, but a variety of weather factors together that trigger migraine. A study done in 1981 found that during phase 4 weather migraines increased – that's weather with low pressure, the passage of a warm front, high temperature and humidity, and often overcast skies.
According to the American National Headache Foundation, weather changes may also cause chemical changes in the body, another factor that triggers migraine. Many believe that the electrical charge of the air may also have something to do with your headaches.
Weather.com now has an "aches and pains" forecast, basically based on dropping pressure, increased humidity and changes or extremes in temperature. Click here to see if a barometric pressure headache is on the way. Just enter your zip code or city.
Here are a few suggestions for dealing with the pain:
1. Keep track of the effects of weather on your headache. If you think pressure changes are a trigger for you, try keeping a diary of weather changes and headache pain.
2. Talk to your doctor about medications. Your doctor may suggest you take an anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen before you travel or when a headache begins to come on.
3. Try an ionizer or humidifier, or get some fresh air. This will not directly solve the pressure problem, but it may help with some weather related headache. Some people find that a walk by a waterfall or river will help. If you don't have easy access or need to lie down indoors (as many with barometric pressure headache or migraine do), try going to a room with a humidifier or ionizer. (Obviously if you're in a humid climate you'll want to avoid adding more moisture to the air!)
4. Relaxation can be helpful in alleviating headache pain. Meditation, massage, therapy, hypnosis and aromatherapy are all options that can help you alleviate stress, relax the muscles in the head and neck and relax the inflamed blood vessels at the same time. Yoga can be a useful relaxation technique as well because it can help you lower your blood pressure, which reduces the inflammation in the vessels.
5. Heat is another way to loosen the muscles and the blood vessels. Breathing in hot steam through the nose can widen the sinuses and also relax the facial muscles that tend to tense during the onset of a barometric headache. Soaking your head in warm water can help accomplish the same thing and the water pressure against the vessels can alleviate some of the internal pressure because the water helps equalize it.
Sources:
http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/barometric-pressure-headache.html
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