Migraine

Morning everyone.

I am very tired today. Woke with a migraine with a pain level of 8. Working today but, grateful I don't have much work. My energy gets so low during a migraine. I'm out of ideas as to what to do. My doctor has instructed me to take vitamins. I tired stretching before bedtime. The meds make up most of the tired feeling I feel.

is all I want. Then I wonder if maybe I need to sleep longer. Help!! Any ideas anyone?

Dutchess

Good Morning,

Well since lack of sleep is a migraine trigger for me, I find it high on my list of priorities. I think you have hit on an excellent point of making sure you are getting enough sleep first and formost and doing so consistantly.

For me, depression and stress make me very tired and have a lack of energy. No amount of sleep in the world helps. That being said, are those factors in your life? If so, you need to find effective ways to deal with them.

I see a therapist every other week. She helps my stress level more than I can tell you.

I'm not prone to depression, unless it's drug induced. I am on an anti-depressant that helps that alot. I think menopause contributes to a bit of depression, but overall the anti depessant works great for me.

If you are sleeping well when you are sleeping, I would not want to add to any medications you are taking if you can help it.

I have found the "sleep hygine" program my doctor gave me very helpful in dealing with stress as it encourages shutting down before bed. Turn off the TV, computer, anything that "stimulates" the brain and let you and it start to unwind before bed. Read a bit. I like to knit. It's very soothing and helps me settle down to sleep and I sleep better.

Just some random thoughts. I hope you can find some of it useful.

Wow Dutchess, that is certainly the million dollar question!!

I think fatigue is a major part of migraines and fibro - both of which I have - and the meds sometimes make this even worse.

I agree with Cindy about sleep hygiene - I've made sure my room is pitch black - no lights even from alarm clocks, turn off the phones at a certain time, only read in a chair, etc.... I know it's important to go to bed and get up at the same time everyday.

I also know that regular aerobic exercise helps even if it is only ten minutes a day.

Personally, I also take Provigil because of my Fibro fog. I also have found that caffeine only provides a short-term benefit and then makes me dive, so I try to stay away from it. Deep breathing also really helps me, as well as systematic relaxation.

Talk with your doctor - he/she may have something to suggest for you!!!

Good luck!!

Cyn

Between my thyroid ick and fibro, there are times I go through periods of physical exhaustion here and there. Add a bad migraine cycle to the mix, and it can get pretty entrenched.

I find that the best thing to do when I start feeling like I'm on the path to exhaustion is to dial it back and take stock of my current limits, and then respect them. Sometimes this means saying "no" to things. Sometimes it means sticking closer to bedtimes and that kind of thing. Sometimes it means paring back on my schedule. If I don't do these things, I pay. If I do these things when I'm first starting to feel things slip, I can usually head off the worst of things, and find I bounce back faster.

Yes, you are right! The million dollar question!

I know that I start to almost feel like I'm losing it when I am sleep deprived, not to mention sleep deprived and in a bad pain cycle.

Trying to keep a good sleep pattern is harder than one would think - especially with a chronic disease and the different meds we take.

I try and rest as much as possible. Sunday is my "don't do anything day" and I try to stick to that.

I totally understand where you are coming from and feel the same way with my recent insomnia.