Alcohol's Effects on the Body (and Head)

Here's just a few more facts about the ways alcohol can affect your body, and in turn lead to migraines. Alcohol-induced migraines are some of my most prominent ones, and sometimes most upsetting.

Most all of these facts make sense compared to what I already know from experience, and some of them are things that I had no idea about until now. For instance, I've found that my body can definitely tolerate lighter beers, wines, and liquors better than dark, and now I understand why. It's always exciting to learn something new that pertains to your health and put it into perspective!

A Simple Share

I just wanted to share this great article about coping with a loss, even years after the fact. Also, I have to promote it because the writer is my best friend! :)

Jaw Tension Massage

This isn't a technique I've yet, but it's also one I've never seen before. It may be worth giving a shot next time my jaw is sore or I feel an oncoming tension headache.


What are some massages and techniques that you've tried for tension pain?

Update on the Sobfest

I forgot to mention: I went out drinking last weekend! And it was wonderful! For like, two hours.

But I've decided that my alcohol-induced migraines are partly situational. For instance, when I go out for a drink or two with a friend in one of the more casual (quieter) places in town, I don't notice having a problem. On the other hand, if I go out for a drink or two at a club or crowded bar, I seem to be more apt to notice a headache come on by the end of the night (some worse than others).

So, the alcohol-induced headaches seem to be aggravated / instigated by too much noise and activity. It's not really entirely what I wanted to find out, but it's a step in the right direction.

See the original sobfest here (I was especially whiny that night).

Sleep Paralysis

I "suffer" from sleep paralysis about 2 - 3 times a year since I was about 10 or so, though I wouldn't exactly call it suffering.

Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which people, either when falling asleep or wakening, temporarily experience an inability to move. More formally, it is a transition state between wakefulness and rest characterized by complete muscle atonia (muscle weakness). It can occur at sleep onset or upon awakening, and it is often associated with terrifying visions (e.g. an intruder in the room), to which one is unable to react due to paralysis.

Via Wikipedia 

It sounds freaky, and it can be. I usually experience SP when waking up, but never when waking up when I need to (i.e. when my alarm goes off). It happens most often during a nap, and it usually takes a few moments for me to realize that I'm in some sort of dream-conscious state of mind.

But if you think about it, the act of sleep paralysis is actually kind of cool. Because you are awoken during REM sleep, you are experiencing it in semi-conscious form, and the natural paralysis caused by REM sleep.

So it may not be all that freaky, but it is frustrating. You can barely open your eyes, let alone move any extension of your body, and all you want to do is continue in real life the dream you were just experiencing (because you haven't quite yet figured out you're not truly awake, and that you were just dreaming). 

I've had to come to terms with the fact that there's not much I can do when experiencing SP, and that there's not much point to trying to fight it. So, I lay back down, say "screw it," and wait to wake up again normally. Some people say they can wake themselves up from SP, but that's their thing.

Before today's naptime SP, I'd been dreaming that I was going to make a collage for my boss, and wanted to send a mass message to coworkers to get pictures gathered together. When I half-woke, I wanted to reach for my phone, but realized I couldn't. I even tried to sit up. When I couldn't do that, I "caved" and went back to sleep. I then hallucinated my parents coming home, and was surprised to find they actually weren't home an hour later (when I actually woke up).

Have you ever had sleep paralysis? What did you do?

Rhinos and Migraines (or lack thereof)

It's just a cold, but I'm such a wimp.

I usually hop myself up on vitamins, keeping my immune system boosted more than it would be on its own. But then I ran out and didn't get more, so my immune system crashed (in a not so dramatic way).

And now I have a common head cold, but I'm such a whiner about it.

On the plus side, now is also the time I should be experiencing hormonal migraines, but apparently my body is kind enough to only allow one annoyance at a time. I've had one migraine so far this cycle, which was nice enough to keep me up all night, but that's pretty impressive. Hopefully it's a trend, but I won't get my hopes up too much.

I do wonder how exactly the drop in hormones during one's cycle is directly connected to migraines and other nasty pms issues, and how it can be prevented (other than the use of birth control). Since some months seem to be so much better than others, it would be interesting to find a way to chart these drops and see if there's a pattern and/or causes.