Managing Pregnancy Headaches
Headache is a common discomfort during pregnancy. Some pregnant women might experience migraine headache for the first time during pregnancy. However, in over 60 percent women prone to migraine headaches that are associated with menstrual periods, migraine attacks do not occur during pregnancy.
What causes pregnancy headache
Although hormonal changes during pregnancy are often blamed for this condition, non-hormonal factors might be equally responsible for triggering headaches. In the first trimester of pregnancy, a woman might experience frequent tension headaches.
However, when the pregnancy hormones stabilize during the second trimester of pregnancy, incidence of headaches might diminish. In some pregnant women, headache might be triggered from caffeine consumption.
Stress and depression during pregnancy might cause headache. Poor sleep, fatigue, hunger, dehydration, eyestrain, allergies and nasal congestions might cause headaches during pregnancy.
Certain ingredients in the diet of a pregnant woman could trigger headaches. Migraine headaches are especially triggered by certain foods. If you are one of those few unlucky women whose migraine symptom does not diminish during pregnancy, frequent headaches could be prevented by avoiding certain foods, bright light and loud sounds.
Pregnancy headache treatment
Tension headaches could be healed by applying cold or warm compress to the forehead and back of the head and neck. Cold compress is best suited for curing migraine headaches.
Tension headaches could be reduced by taking a warm shower, while a cold bath could temporarily reduce migraine headaches. Take enough rest to prevent headaches. Don’t skip your meals.
Your blood sugar level would drop, triggering headache. Dehydration is a common cause of headache during pregnancy. Drink plenty of water. If nausea accompanies headache, sip water slowly.
Regular moderate exercise could prevent headaches during pregnancy. Try relaxation techniques such as meditation and self-hypnosis to reduce pregnancy related stress.
By maintaining a food journal, you can identify food substances that trigger headaches. Common food substances that trigger headaches, especially migraine headaches, include food additives such as nitrites used as preservatives in processed meat, sulfites used for preserving salads and dried fruits, monosodium glutamate, and artificial sweeteners.
Smoked fish, coffee, chocolate, sour cream, buttermilk, aged cheese, nuts, diaries, pickles, fermented products and even citrus fruits, papaya, avocados and bananas might trigger migraine during pregnancy.
