Monday, April 12, 2010 Sami G asks

Q: Morning Migrane if I dont cover my head while A/C is on

I get migraine in the mornings at least three times a week. I come from a very hot country (35C - 45C) and need A/C all the time. After some time, I descovered that if I cover my head and the liftside of my head while sleeping, I dont get the migraine.

The problem is, the cover I use is a towel, and sometimes it falls off my head or I get too hot and sweat and remove it while sleeping, then I wakeup with migraine. I saw many doctors and neurologists and did full sinuses check up, no one could explaine why I need to cover my head while sleeping with A/C on????. I didnt do CT scan, as doctors said that this migraine is a normal one, hence no need for it.

My bedroom temp is usualy around 20C - 22C

The only medication that relive me is Zomig 2.5mg.

I cant have a normal life with the headaches and cant continue to take Zomig for life.

Could anyone help me please..

Sami

Male, 41 years

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Answers (1)

Megan Oltman, Health Guide

4/17/10 5:15pm

Hi Sami -

Welcome! I have a few thoughts for you. One is that if covering your head helps, maybe you could sleep in a sweatshirt with a hood and use the hood to cover your head? Or get a knit cap on your head, just something that will not fall off. Can you arrange your bed so that the air conditioner is not blowing directly on you, or change the temperature slightly? There may be small adjustments you could make that would help.

Temperature change, humidity change, extreme heat and cold, and changes in barometric pressure can all trigger Migraines. You can read about some of the most common triggers here: Common Migraine Triggers. If you identify other triggers you may find that several are combining to trigger your Migraines.

If you are getting as many as three Migraines a week, you are probably a candidate for preventive medication, which you take daily to reduce your system's triggerability and cut down the number of Migraines. There are many drugs used for Migraine prevention. Here's an article that might help you and your doctor to find a preventive: Migraine Preventive Medications: Too Many Options to Give Up.

Good luck to you!

- Megan

Sami G

4/18/10 4:57pm

Hi Megan,

Thanks so much for your advise. The problem with the head cover is not only falling off my head, but as I am living in a very hot country Temp in summer reaches 47C every day, so you can imagine the heat, hence the room becomes hotish sometime, and I start sweating, so I remove the cover, then one I feel a bit cool, NOT very cold, this triggers the migraine immediately.

Also, the A/C DONT blow directly on my head, i sleep away from it.

I looked at the preventative medicines, but cant tell which one to start first from the long list???

Also, do you know if Zomg is safe to be taken say 3 times a month when migrane reaches top scale???

Thanks so much again for your advises

Regrads

Sami

Megan Oltman, Health Guide

4/18/10 6:20pm

Hi Sami -

Sorry to hear aobut the problem with feeling hot & cold; I don't know if there's any way to completely manage that. With the preventives I know the list can seem overwhelming. You have to get a doctor's prescription anyway, so maybe you can bring the list to the doctor as an aid to their thinking about how to help you.

I am not a doctor and can't give you medical advice, but I know that generally triptans (like Zomig) are considered safe to take up to twice a week, or eight times a month. The sooner you take them when you feel the Migraine come on the better they work. I try not to guess which are going to be the very worst ones, but treat as many as I can, and then I am less likely to have worst ones!

- Megan

Sami G

4/19/10 12:54am

Hi Megan,

Thanks again for the fast replay.. I will speak to my doctor re the preventative medicine.

The question is, no one seem to explaine to me, including doctors, why I get this migrane, ie what is happening inside my head, so that cold air triggers migraine??? Also, are there any types off medications or operations to help get red of this problem permanently??? Like any other health problem??

Sami

Megan Oltman, Health Guide

4/19/10 7:24pm

Sami -

There is a lot of information on this site about why we get Migraines and where they come from. A good place to start is Learning About Migraines and Headaches - Where To Start. For most of us who get Migraines the origin lies in a very sensitive nervous system which reacts to certain triggers by firing off certain neurons in a sequence that causes the Migraine pain and other symptoms. Whether you end up with this sensitive nervous system is often genetically determined. Which triggers a person has can vary, and some people get more Migraines during one period of their lives than in others. Most of us can use a combination of medications and coping techniques to manage the Migraines and lessen their impact on our lives. But unfortunately there is no known cure.

- Megan

Q: Morning Migrane if I dont cover my head while A/C is on

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