Melatonin and Migraine Prevention

I was so happy to discover this article the other day.

The article by Diana Lee of Migraine.com discusses new migraine prevention research that studies the effectiveness of Melatonin vs. amitriptyline. Please read the full article here.

This study has found that Melatonin can be just as much, if not more, effective than amitriptyline, with more tolerable and desirable side effects. I've always been a big advocate for Melatonin as a natural sleep aid, and now it's possible I can prevent some morning headaches and migraines as well. I tried amitriptyline quite a few years ago, but had no luck and turned out to be allergic.

I'm actually excited to eventually meet with a specialist and discuss this prospect. Now it's just a matter of figuring out where I'm going to be living in the next month so I can find a local specialist!

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?

Back to the Drawing Board

It was a looong weekend, and I'd like to think that's the reason for this weird headachy - migrainy thing I woke up with too early this morning.

But I have no idea.

I remember that it was summertime last year when I was waking up with these really terrible throbbing headaches that were different from my typical headaches / migraines, which is similar to what I'm dealing with now. Rather than pain on one side of my head and neck, the pain is spread across my forehead and the base of my neck, and in full swing. But oddly, it's more easily controlled by something like Excedrin, and usually doesn't require an Imitrex (thankfully).

Maybe it's something to do with the weather? I had headaches my first few days in Key West, but once I adjusted I felt great.

I've been "diagnosed" with tension headaches nearly my entire life (who's to say what they really were / are?), and this type of pain matches the description of one. But it also coincides with a few symptoms of cluster headaches, which I've never really looked into, so I'm not really sure.

I think it's time to go back to the drawing board with this daily / nightly experiment (the one that never really happened in the first place, ha!), and figure out what I can avoid during the day and especially before bed.

What are some things you do in the evening and at bedtime to avoid waking up with a headache?

Welcome Back

Well, hello there. Hope your Easter went well, pain-free, and that you could enjoy your time with family. I felt pretty lazy all weekend, and wasn't really motivated to write about anything. But no news is good news, right? :)


Spring has been teasing us lately, but I think the hints of it in the air are helping me feel better in general. The larger and more regular amounts of sunshine are definitely giving me a mental and emotional boost.

The melatonin experiment didn't exactly go as hoped; I'd been taking melatonin for a few nights in a row, and was noticing less headaches in the mornings. It must have been a coincidence, because I haven't noticed any significant changes lately, and seem to be regressing back to where I was before. It seems that if I get less sleep at night (6 - 7 hours), I'm less apt to wake up with a headache. I can do this with no problem for a few days, especially if I'm getting a steady 7 hours every night, but eventually the lack of sleep starts to take a toll. But I'd still take being tired over having a headache.

How was your Easter weekend? We're you able to do everything you wanted to do, or make any new discoveries?

Melatonin

I wish I'd thought about using melatonin a long time ago, and that I would've known my boyfriend already had some stashed away in the medicine cabinet.

This past weekend was a long one: Working early every morning + a St. Patty's Day party at our apartment = stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. Fortunately, I found the melatonin in the cupboard Friday night and had at it.

Normally, when I work early in the morning, I don't sleep well the night before. I get jumpy, like I'm afraid that I might miss my alarm (that, and I just dread the thought of working early). The melatonin helped me relax and drift off without freaking about my alarm going off in 5 short hours, and I was able to wake up without drowsiness or a headache!

That was the best part.

I don't want to take melatonin all the time, but it was great for the weekend and other instances like this one. Granted, I woke up with a headache again this morning (no melatonin last night), but at least I know there is a temporary solution to use while working on finding a permanent one.

Update: Sleep + Headaches

I did a little more research after yesterday's post. I don't know why I haven't looked harder into this before...

Many times, waking up with headaches has been connected with sleep apnea (and other sleep disorders). This is scary to me.

I've been told a few times I should get a sleep study done, and that I snore. Loudly.

It's something I should bet done, but it scares me a little. Scary to be watched while I sleep, and scary to possibly get stuck with one of those scary masks I'd have to wear to bed.

That's a lot of scary.

A couple different articles I found:

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/03/get-some-sleep-daily-headaches-how-are-you-sleeping/

http://www.headache-help.org/sleep-disorders-and-headache

Sleep + Headaches

I go through random bouts of insomnia every once in a while. They don't generally last very long, and aren't too severe.

But when I'm trying to get up at a normal time, it makes the next morning suck and not suck at the same time. I'm super fatigued (I'm like dizzy-fatigued today), but... NO HEADACHES EITHER!!! Sort of.

I've noticed that when I get less sleep at night (max 7 hours), I'm less prone to waking up with a headache, or less get a less severe one. If I sleep much more than 7 hours though, I wake up with a pounding headache (lately, anyway).

I was up til about 2:00 a.m. last night, which is pretty late for me. I forced myself to get up at 8:00 to see the boyfriend out the door, and really didn't notice any kind of headache at all. Much of the time, I'm ok off 6 hours for a day or two, but not today. I passed back out for another hour or so after he left - head pounding ensued.

And all the websites say 8 hours is what's necessary, and that you're less likely to get headaches with that amount of sleep. But I can't find anything specifically about no headaches on less sleep...

So the conundrum is: Do I start maxing at 7 hours a night at the benefit of less morning headaches, but perhaps bigger risk of daytime, fatigue-triggered migraines in the long run? Or, do I just continue with more sleep and morning headaches? Hmm...

Nipping It in the Bud

After waking up this morning with yet another nasty headache, I think it's time to finally do something proactive. Waking up to take pain relievers every other morning is scary to me, and I'm not exactly sure what it's doing to things like my liver, kidneys, stomach, and heart. Granted, many of these headaches could be "rebound" headaches, and one of the best things I could do (though sickening and painful) would be to cut those a.m. pain relievers out. But I think there's more to it than just that.

It's Girl Scout Cookie Season, and I ate about half a box of Tagalongs yesterday, several of which were eaten right before bed. This isn't the first time I've woken up with a nasty headache or full-on migraine after eating too many naughty foods the day before. I think there may be a correlation between sugar / chocolate consumption and a.m. headaches / migraines the next day, and I'm about to try something to see if that's true.

I'd like to conduct my own form of an experiment, where I cut sugars and chocolates by a certain time each day, and watch my consumption as a whole. This will not only help with a.m. headaches and migraines (hopefully), but will also aid my health and body as a whole.

I think I will start by cutting sugars and chocolates after 8:00pm, and only eat fruits and veggies if I feel the need for a snack. Then, I will log if there were any headaches each morning, how severe the possible headaches are, what and how much I take to fight these headaches (if anything), and what I did the night before. This won't be easy: I love late night cookie, chip, and ice cream binges. But I know it will be good for me in the long run, even if it doesn't seem to affect my headaches, and it could be the first step in weaning off the scary morning meds.

I'll be logging everything on this blog, as a helpful way for me to keep track (and you, if you're really all that interested). If, after some time, cutting sweets doesn't seem to be having much effect, we'll move on to something else.

I go on vacation at the end of this week through most of next week (Key West!), so I can't say I'll want to focus and experiment on my headaches and their triggers. So we'll take a break, and experimenting will start full swing when I get back. In the meantime, I will continue to watch my sugar intake, and see where we can go from there. Maybe a little va-cay is all I need to kick these headaches to the curb! :)

I'd be happy to hear any suggestions you may have about my upcoming experiment, so let me have 'em :)

Constant Fatigue

While I realize that a constant feeling of fatigue is often a symptom of (guys close your eyes) PMS, but uggggghhhhh. It is sooo irritating. My brain is in a constant fog and I just don't function the way I should. Point in case: I just got distracted by the TV for 10 minutes halfway through the last sentence... and again just now.

Sometimes, you can't really seem to do much about the fatigue. No time for a nap, caffeine has done all it can do (or made things worse), what's left?

After doing a little research, I think I've come up with a list of fool-proof fatigue-fighters that can be tried anytime of day:

• Hydrate - drink water regularly throughout the day
• Do stretches and take walks every few hours to air out your brain
• Eat several small meals throughout the day (rather than three large ones) to avoid major lull periods in between meals
• Snack on foods like fruit, yogurt, whole-wheat bagels with cheese or peanut butter, and eggs to get an energy boost
• 20 minute power naps (these work magical wonders)
• Find something to laugh at for a few minutes - it'll perk you up and make you pay attention to something :)
• If you must have caffeine, choose green tea over coffee or pop. It has a little caffeine, but also lots of antioxidants 
• Pull on your hair. Gently. This can encourage a little more blood flow into your skull and brain

And here's a fun fact (but not really): If you're having issues with fatigue for an extended period of time, get checked for a UTI. In some cases, fatigue can be the only sign of an urinary tract infection.

So, that's my list, but what I have I missed? What do you do to fight that midday fatigue?

Sleeping Personalities

I found this video on WebMD about how our sleeping positions may be correlated with our personalities. It's kind of interesting.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/video/sleep-personality?ecd=wnl_lbt_013013&ctr=wnl-lbt-013013_ld-stry&mb=cZ9pkhWUenx05H1LQQckaOHnVev1imbCTyD2SkK3pU4%3d

I'm fairly certain I sleep primarily in the fetal position, but I match more of the personality traits listed with the "soldier" position. So I'm not entirely sure if I buy this idea yet, but it's interesting nonetheless.

What position to do you sleep in? Does your personality match your sleeping position according to the video?

Coughing and Headaches

I've finally caught a version of the crud that seems to be going around this town. I didn't think it would be so bad at first, but the constant dry coughing I went through yesterday eventually gave me a headache. Which turned into a migraine. Which stayed with me through the night, eventually making me take an Imitrex. I've still been coughing today, but it hasn't been quite as intense or frequent, and the headache has been kept at bay.

What are some ways to prevent coughing and the headaches that can come with it? When you go to sleep with a migraine, do you wake up with it the next day?