Good Sleep Habits Could Reduce the Intensity of Migraines

Good sleep habits can help lessen the intensity of migraines, says a study.

Anne Calhoun, associate professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina Medical School, studied over 100 women migraine sufferers and found those who improved their sleep habits had reduced headache frequencies.

Those who improved their act reduced their headache frequency by 29 percent and headache intensity by 40 percent compared with those who didn't change their sleep habits, the online edition of health magazine WebMD reported.

Migraine is a disorder characterised by recurrent moderate to severe headaches that may be accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vomiting or extreme sensitivity to light and sound.

"People with migraine say it affects their sleep," Calhoun says. "But it may be the other way around. They're having chronic migraines because they are not sleeping well."

While headache specialists point to medication overuse as a factor in headaches becoming more chronic, "we feel there may be other important factors involved in the transformation process", says Calhoun. "Sleep problems may be one of these methods by which episodic headaches become chronic."

(Source: IANS News)