- Certain foods, such as cheese, citrus fruits, chocolate, fizzy drinks or preserved meats.
- Missed meals. In some cases a light snack before any extra activity could be all that is needed to prevent a migraine developing as it is important to maintain a constant blood sugar level.
- Lack of sleep and/or oversleeping. It is important to maintain regular bedtime and getting up times.
- Anxiety or stress factors which may include schoolwork, school performances and difficulties in relationships with parents, siblings and/or friends.
- Excessive physical exercise.
- Long hours playing video games or watching TV.
- Flickering lights such as fluorescent tube lighting, TV flicker or flashing images.
In many instances a combination of these factors may start a migraine. The use of a diary documenting all activities, food and drink taken in the 24 hour period prior to the onset of a migraine may help in the identification of trigger factors. Maintaining a diary for up to 3 months can help to establish patterns.
Prevention & Management
Keeping a headache diary accurately records the frequency, severity and duration of attacks and can help to identify triggers, which may help to prevent future migraine attacks. It also monitors the effectiveness of treatments. If the symptoms are noticed early a child can often sleep off the pain of migraine. Non-pharmacological management techniques include relaxation exercises, stress management, biofeedback and behavioural therapies. These therapies can greatly reduce the frequency of attacks. If your child is about to have an attack, a mild pain-killing drug such as paracetamol should be given (in soluble form as this is more quickly absorbed). Aspirin should be avoided due to its association with a rare condition called Reye¹s Disease. Nausea or vomiting can be countered with an anti-nausea drug, which can be purchased over the counter and should be taken about 15 minutes before the painkiller. Preventative medical therapy is rarely recommended for children. It is generally preferable for a child to miss a few days of school per term due to migraine, rather than give preventative medication. Regular preventative therapy may only be justified (over a short two-three month period) if the migraine attack frequency is distressing. Following advice from a GP on the positive and negative aspects of treatment options, parents can decide on the best management solutions for their child.
