BBC doctor explains why you may be getting more headaches lately
Have you noticed an increase? If so, you are not alone
Doctor Punam Krishan, a regular guest on BBC Morning Live, has issued a warning to people who suffer with headache. Taking to her own Instagram account, the expert said that she's been seeing an increase of these complaints a lot - and it's not you going crazy.
She posed the question: "Have you been experiencing more headaches or more migraines recently? Because I have certainly seen a lot more patients coming in with headaches or asking for their headache and migraines medications."
Reassuring patients that they're not making it up, she said: "No, you're not imagining it. Spring headaches are usually caused by three big seasonal triggers."
In her first trigger, she lists allergy season as one of them. She explained: "When pollen levels rise, your body detects the allergen, pollen, but it also releases, in response to a chemical called histamine to fight it off.
"But histamine doesn't just cause sneezing and itchy eyes. It also causes inflammation, especially in your sinuses, which causes them to swell, become all congested and blocked, and that causes pressure in the head, resulting in that awful tension, headache."
In her second reasoning for why you may notice an increase in headaches and migraines, she notes: "Next is barometric pressure changes. Spring weather can be so unpredictable - especially if you live here in Scotland - one minute it's cold and the next minute we're having a mini heat wave."
Hailing from Glasgow, the Scottish GP continued: "But this does mean the pressure in our air is constantly changing. When the air pressure drops suddenly, it creates a pressure and balance between the air and the environment and the air-filled spaces in your body like your sinuses.
"Research shows that this barometric pressure can cause your blood vessels in your brain to constrict - or narrow - or expand and dilate which can trigger a headaches and migraines in people who are prone to those
"So if your head starts pounding before the rain hits, you're not crazy, you're not making it up. You're probably just really sensitive to the pressure swings."
She concluded her list with "the most common cause of all" which is dehydration. She stresses: "As the weather warms up, which is happening in the UK at the moment, you will sweat more - even if you don't notice it."
Even mild dehydration "can cause your brain to contract slightly, which can lead to a headache." Wanting people to enjoy the good weather, she urged people "to be aware and be prepared if you are prone to spring time headaches."
You can do this by looking at weather apps which look for pressure changes. She suggested: "If you know that your body reacts to the shifts then you can plan ahead - especially with hydration.
"Keep a consistent routine because even things like sudden changes and sleep or stress or caffeine can make your body more vulnerable to triggers." She also suggested that people track their triggers so they can try to avoid it where possible and to stop up on medication.
As per NHS guidance, you should see a GP if your headache keeps coming back, if painkillers do not help and your headache gets worse, if you have a bad throbbing pain at the front or side of your head; you feel sick, vomit and find light or noise painful, and/or if you regularly get headaches before or during your period.
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