Have you ever asked yourself why you feel nauseous when a migraine strikes? It’s like the psalmist said, “My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?” From my experience, I have learned that it is important to understand the underlying causes of symptoms like nausea before we can find solutions. Let’s dive into why nausea so often accompanies a migraine and what we can do about it.
Increased Sensitivity to Pain
First and foremost, it is important to understand that migraine patients experience pain differently than those who do not suffer from migraines. People with migraines often have increased sensitivity to pain due to abnormalities in the brain's pain processing pathways. This means that even mild sensations may be perceived as intense pain, which can trigger feelings of nausea.
Changes in Brain Chemistry
Migraine headaches also cause changes in brain chemistry, which can lead to vomiting and other gastrointestinal problems such as nausea. During a migraine attack, certain chemicals are released that affect the digestive system and can cause nausea as well as abdominal cramping and bloating. These changes in brain chemistry also affect the brainstem – an area of the brain responsible for controlling vomiting – resulting in reflexive episodes of nausea or vomiting during a migraine attack. Additionally, some medications used for treating migraines can also contribute to feelings of nausea due to their effect on blood pressure and heart rate.
Dehydration & Stress
Finally, dehydration and stress are two additional triggers of nausea during a migraine attack. Dehydration occurs when there is an imbalance between the amount of water lost by your body through sweat or urination and the amount taken in by drinking fluids or eating food containing water. When this happens, electrolytes become imbalanced leading to dehydration which can make one more susceptible to feeling nauseous during a migraine attack. Stress is another common trigger for both migraines and feelings of nausea; intense stress has been linked with increased severity of attacks as well as increased risk for recurrent migraines over time.
No matter what causes your nausea with your migraines - whether it be changes in brain chemistry, increased sensitivity to pain or dehydration/stress - understanding why you get nauseous may help you manage your symptoms better. Taking steps such as staying hydrated, avoiding triggers such as stress/caffeine/alcohol/certain foods etc., practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing etc., may help reduce your chances of getting hit with debilitating migraines accompanied by nausea!
If these measures don't work, it's time to decrease inflammation in your body. I used to experience 16 to 24 debilitating migraine days a month and now have less than 1-1/2 days by doing this. There is an 11 Day Jumpstart next month that will walk you through exactly how step by step. Click Here for details and leave a comment on this blog or contact me if you want in!
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