Migraine and headache awareness month

It is Migraine and headache awareness month and I have a headache most days and regular migraines so let’s get into it.

I have spoken a lot about how important awareness days are, and I always keep my eyes on when something that affects me is going to be highlighted. I have struggled with headaches since I was a child, and migraines since I was a teenager, so I thought it would be good to chat about this month’s theme Myth, Truth, Action.

Myth:

• Headaches are just lack of sleep or not enough water
• Migraines are just a ‘bad headache’
• You can carry on working with a migraine
• Taking medication means you feel better immediately
• It is only a migraine if you have an aura

Truth

• Headaches can be triggered by many things, and though sleep and water consumption can help they are not the only triggers. I get a lot of headaches because I grind my teeth at night, and even with mouthguards it still causes the muscles around my head to cramp. They can also be triggered by poor posture, change in sleep and stress it is a lot more complicated than just needing sleep and to drink more.
• Migraines are so much more than a ‘bad headache’ they can be so bad you can feel like you are having a stroke! Hence me spending hours in A&E that one time because my left arm wouldn’t work, and one side of my head was hurting so badly. There are many known symptoms including flashing lights, numbness or tingling down one side, headache on one side, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and even trouble speaking.
• The idea of trying to work with a migraine is insane, anyone with the symptoms I just mentioned should be at home resting and trying to improve how they feel. Nobody should be forced to stay at work while they feel so sick, and to be honest you wouldn’t be able to do your best work with one.
• There are medications that can be taken both from a doctor or over the counter and they do help. However, they do not fully take away the migraine symptoms though they can lessen them or lower the amount of time you experience them. Personally, these medications tend to make me so tired I have to sleep so I cannot just push through after taking them.
• There are different types of migraines, and there is one that does come with visual disturbances like aura. However, as you can see here on the NHS website, there are other types of migraine including ones with no symptoms or warnings.

Action:

There are so many ways that headaches and migraines can be minimised by the people around us. It is only by educating ourselves and being our own advocates that people’s perception of them will change.

During migraine and headache awareness month, sharing social media posts can help so much. There are many advocates out there and charities that have information that can be used to help work colleagues, family and friends to understand.

I hope that as more of us share our experiences especially during migraine and headache awareness month attitudes will change. I also hope that people will start to realise that they can take the time they need when they are struggling with them.

Thank you xx

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