Pregnancy Headaches – Natural Remedies, Relief Treatments, Causes
Pregnancy Headaches Treatments:
Headache is one of the many things that are unpleasant for a pregnant woman. Normally, one would experience it during the first and last trimester. Most women would experience their first migraine attack during their pregnancy. Ironically, pregnant women who previously had migraines report having few or none at all of these pregnancy headaches.
Pregnancy Headaches Causes:
Pregnancy headaches are caused by varied factors such as hormonal changes, initial stress, and increased blood volume. Poor posture is however touted the primary reason for this pregnancy headache because it exerts pressure on some parts of the body. The discomfort is then communicated into the brain leading to the headaches.
Caffeine withdrawal when you suddenly stopped having coffee or drinking soda could also possibly cause the pregnancy headache. Fatigue and lack of sleep, dehydration, hunger or hypotension, allergies, and sinus congestion are the other possible reasons for experiencing those terrifying headaches.
The Hormonal Changes
Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone are the ones regulating the pregnancy cycle. These affect brain chemicals such as serotonin, which is responsible in giving you the pregnancy headaches and also the ones that regulate the pain message in the brain.
During pregnancy, the estrogen level rapidly shoots up or down. You have pregnancy headaches when your estrogen level is low and improves when it hastily rises. There’s good news though. As the pregnancy progresses, the estrogen level tends to spurt higher and remains at that level all throughout the pregnancy period. Therefore, your pregnancy headache begins to improve and just disappears later on.
Relief from Pregnancy Headaches:
It ain’t easy being pregnant. Why? Because when you have a headache, you just can’t take any medicines as they may not be safe for pregnant women. It is always best to consult with your gynecologist before taking any kind of medication even if it just treatment for a simple headache.
There are, however, home remedies for relieving pregnancy headaches. Here are some tips:
- Applying warm compress on the head, the face, the eyes, and the temples. For tension headaches cure, a cold compress at the back of the neck will do.
- A good peaceful rest in a dark quiet room will greatly help. It also helps to have a regular sleep schedule.
- Maintaining the proper posture will help alleviate the pressure brought about by the added weight of the baby.
- Massage on the head, shoulders, and the neck is excellent in treating pregnancy headaches and tension.
- Eating small frequent meals is healthy so as to keep the blood sugar from going too low.
- Low-impact exercises to relax the body may help. Deep breathing, yoga, and visualization will help distract the headaches.
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