(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Some people suffer from migraine attacks that can get more severe during the summer. With the rising temperature due to many reasons, such as bright light, air trapping, and lack of fluid intake, migraines are triggered on hot summer days.
The Primary health Care Corporation (PHCC) urges the public to avoid prolonged direct exposure to sunlight, keeping in mind that they should use sunglasses to relieve migraine symptoms associated with bright sunlight sensitivity.
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“A headache is a pain in the head that may be on one side or on both sides, which may be severe or come with throbbing or pulsing pain,” explained Dr. Muhammad Al Mashhadani, Family Physician at PHCC's Airport Health Center.
He added that there are two types of headaches, including migraine, a pain that is often on one side of the head, which is sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting. This type is affected by weather changes, as they cause an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, ttriggering migraines.
These weather changes include exposure to bright sunlight or sun glare, exposure to extreme heat in the summer in countries with hot summers, exposure to extreme cold in countries with cold winters, as well as high humidity, dry air, and strong winds, all of which negatively affect the secretion of serotonin that leads to migraines.
Dr. Al Mashhadani added that we can identify the weather effects and changes in causing migraines by recording migraine attacks on daily basis in terms of their severity, time of occurrence, duration, and their possible cause to find out whether weather changes affect migraines or there are other causes.
To prevent migraine attacks, he advised the public to avoid exposure to direct sunlight, follow a healthy diet and do simple exercises. In case symptoms of migraine appear, it is preferable to sit in a dark and quiet room, drink enough water, take migraine medication, and get enough sleep.
Normal headaches, on the other side, are often linked to tension and stress. This type of tension comes in the form of bouts of moderate pain and may be accompanied by other symptoms, such as high blood pressure that accompanies the headache, as well as sinusitis, ear and middle ear infections that is often accompanied by headaches, as well as toothache, that is also often accompanied by headaches with a pulsating sensation.
Normal headaches can be treated by dealing with the cause such as infections, tensions, and other factors or with common headache relievers such as paracetamol, as well as avoiding smoking or second-hand smoke exposure.