In this blog, I’m talking about 7 tips to stop the “Saturday Migraine Syndrome.”
Has this ever happened to you? You go through the week and feel fine and then BAM! Saturday rolls around and there you are in the middle of enjoying some much anticipated time with your friends and before you know it, you have a doozy of a migraine.
I discussed in a previous blog, how I used to have this type of migraine when I first went on a vacation. The first and sometimes second day of my vacation had me “down” with a migraine. Sometimes, the same thing seems to happy on a weekend. Let’s face it, all we want to do when the weekend comes is relax and enjoy ourselves after a busy week.
Did you know that the weekend migraine is one of the most common headache patterns we encounter? And it is the most miserable way to spend a weekend, right?
Think about it. Your week has been crazy and so busy at work that you come home on Friday afternoon completely exhausted and pretty much brain-dead! You don’t feel you can cope with another thing or take on another task that will make you have to think! All you want to do is catch up on your sleep. You’re excited at the thought of getting up Saturday morning rested, refreshed and ready to face the day ahead. You have a great day planned–meeting up with some friends, maybe doing some kind of outdoor activity with them, and stopping to have some lunch before heading home. Then you plan to go home and spend a nice quiet afternoon with your family and enjoy yourself. Instead, the next thing you know, you’ve got a massive migraine that wipes out the rest of your weekend plans.
So hit replay on your week! You had encountered several common triggers: sleep inconsistency + stress fluctuation + caffeine + outdoor activity + heat + humidity + bright sun. All of these add up to an accumulation of migraine triggers. It’s bad enough when we have just one or two migraine triggers in the mix, but with that many together? Well these can much more easily lead to a severe migraine.
First let’s think about the first three triggers we mentioned…
Sleep and caffeine are triggers we can control and even stress fluctuations can be managed.
A study that was recently conducted actually showed it’s not the stress, but the release from stress, or the fluctuation, that is the migraine trigger.
Caffeine can be like double-edged sword. If we don’t drink it at the same time every day, we can suffer with a withdrawal headache which can then trigger a migraine.
Going back to our weekend scenario, we then added exercise on a hot, humid day. Dr. Andrew Weil–one of our professors at the college I attended–says, “Exercise headaches are most likely to develop when you’re exercising in hot, humid weather or at high altitude. A history of migraine headaches (either personally or within your family) can put you at risk for them.”
How do we go about avoiding this weekend pattern so that we can enjoy our weekend in the way we want to?
Here are a few ideas:
Keep stress levels as steady as you can throughout the week, trying not to physically, mentally or emotionally strain yourself during the week.
Get up at the same time on Saturday as you do Monday – Friday. Sleeping an hour or two later can be a trigger.
Drink your caffeine like you would take medication – at the same time each day. Trying to wean yourself off caffeine isn’t easy, but it can be done over time if that’s the approach you want to take.
Skipping meals is a known migraine trigger, so be sure to eat some kind of breakfast. Even though it’s the weekend why not try having a shake, fruit or oatmeal to boost hydration. If you plan on any type of sports activity Saturday, then eat a banana and have a healthy sports drink before exercising to boost electrolyte levels.
Stay well hydrated. Drinking more water while exercising and after, will help replenish fluid you’re losing.
When you are outdoors, wear quality sunglasses to help with the sun’s glare as well as blocking those UV rays.
Try wearing a hat when you are outside in the heat.
In conclusion, don’t let a weekend migraine ruin another Saturday for you. Think ahead and plan for the weekend. Learn ways to keep your stress levels manageable–and learn to manage your stress–keep your sleep and caffeine habits as regular and level as possible. Think about what “cumulative triggers” you might have a habit of engaging in on the weekends so that you can keep them to a minimum. Learn how to control your triggers so that they don’t control you. Keeping a migraine journal can most certainly help you more effectively control your migraine triggers.
I would love to know if you have noticed a frequent weekend migraine pattern in your life. Do you know what triggers it for you and do you have a good work-around? Leave a comment below.
P.S. Have you checked out my migraine book “Conquering Migraines: Your Guide to a Life Without Pain?” This book comes with all types of migraine-friendly recipes and natural remedies—available on my Website and on Amazon. For more information or to purchase your copy, click the picture below.
