What’s really causing your headache?

The key to overcoming frequent headaches is understanding what’s causing them. Neuroscientist Ellison helps you get to the root of the problem – and find some relief

possible reason why people who get them are often heavy smokers. Raising serotonin through tablets or injections early in the episode can stop them.

Migraine

THE SIGNS: Migraines often start with yawning, blurred vision and thirst as your brain tries to regulate hormone imbalances. This is followed sometimes by an aura or visual distortions, then pain, possibly with nausea and light sensitivity, before the final phase where you may feel “out of it” as your brain’s neurotransmitters move back to where they should be.

WHAT’S GOING ON?

Migraines are neurological – in other words, caused by activity in your brain. You get a wave of excitation, sometimes in response to a stimulus such as flashing lights or white shirts, sometimes for a physiological reason like a bump in oestrogen at certain times of the month.

This is quickly followed by a wave of no activity at all.

This pattern causes potassium to get trapped on the outside of the brain cells. It acts directly on pain receptors, constricting the brain’s blood vessels – then your brain starts to think it’s starving of nutrients so it kicks into gear and leads to massive vasodilation to compensate, causing pain.

This feature is taken from Healthy Magazine, available from Holland & Barrett. See healthymagazine.co.uk/mirror for a subscription offer

Some key steps are known to help.

We lose water all the time through sweating and excretion. If you’re not

taking in more than you’re losing for normal body

function, your kidneys will take water from organs.

Your brain is made of nearly 70 per cent water so it acts

as a veritable oasis. But as it loses volume, it shrinks,

pulling on the membrane covering of the brain, which

is called the meninges, and that can cause pain.

This helps you avoid both the physical and emotional causes of headache.

Walking and yoga can help. This helps prevent the muscle tension trigger headaches. that can BE HAPPY It’s sometimes easier

said than done, but it’s really important to find ways to bring joy into your life.

Whatever the headache, serotonin blocks pain signals from reaching your

brain. This may be important in migraines suggests – research keeping blood sugar levels up can help

prevent them.