Sometimes headaches are caused by a change in hormone levels, specifically a drop in oestrogen hormone levels. This means that usually a day or two before their period, many women experience migraines. These hormonal headaches can also occur during the first few days of a menstrual period. These headaches can be extremely inconvenient and hard to cope with so here are some tips:
- Eat light snacks often – low blood sugar levels can sometimes trigger these headaches so snacking frequently in the days leading up to your period can help to improve headache symptoms.
- Avoiding stress – stress often exacerbates these headaches so avoiding stressful situations and taking time to relax can often help. Deep breathing, yoga and meditation are great exercises to destress and can help to relax your muscles and consequently improve headache symptoms.
- Regular sleep- sleep assists with the regulation of hormone levels so having a good sleeping pattern can help to decrease the severity of these headaches.
- Review medications – some medications such as the Contraceptive Pill may make these headaches worse so perhaps talking to the GP about modifying them may prove useful. At the same time, the GP may be able to prescribe some medications that provide pain relief for these headaches such as triptans or stronger NSAIDS. Ibuprofen may also be useful in providing pain relief.
- Physiotherapy – Physiotherapy can help provide pain relief by relieving tension in the muscles in your head which in turn, can help to decrease the severity of a headache.
If you feel that physiotherapy can help you with pain relief during your period, please contact Home Physio Group on 0330 335 1016 to talk to our team, or alternatively, please use the contact form on the website and we will reach out to you.