Summer migraines are the absolute worst. You just want to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and a migraine appears or you’re worried about possible triggers outside. I’ve been there and have been there for the last 15 years. Summer is one of my biggest migraine triggers and the barometric pressure is one of the number one triggers for me during this time of year.
A migraine attack is no joke, they are debilitating and can be catastrophic to your plans and your day-to-day life. The heat, the humidity, the easy dehydration, and the outdoor environments can be simple triggers for chronic migraineurs. These are just a couple of things to watch out for with your health. Summer isn’t all bad for those with migraine headaches, there is a lot that is magical and wonderful about summer. Going about summer migraines in a smart and preventive approach will help with reducing triggers during the summer months and hopefully get you outside enjoying the warm weather!
Let’s dive into what to watch for with summer migraines and how to help keep those triggers at bay.
Hot Temperatures
Let’s start out with the obvious, summer is a warmer time of year. Naturally, the heat increases and remains warm night and day. Let’s not even speak about when heatwaves come, those are absolutely the worst for everyone regardless of health. When it comes to warmer days and hotter nights it’s important to stay cool. Rising body temperature and prolonged heat exposure can raise your internal temperature which can trigger a migraine attack to occur.
Keeping cool, taking breaks, and ensuring you’re not outside for prolonged periods on very hot days can be key to helping keep those migraines at bay. When possible, watch out for prodrome migraine symptoms to occur and react accordingly with the healthcare professionals medical advice, and treatment plan for your migraines.
For myself, when the temperature and humidex rise, I try to plan for more climate-controlled days when possible, to help reduce the risk of triggers. I understand this might not be for everyone, however, when possible, try to keep cool.
Longer Days
Don’t you love long summer days, where the sun stays up until late in the evening and you’re out enjoying yourself with friends and family till the wee hours! I know I do. You know what doesn’t love that, your migraines! While summer does mean longer days, it can disturb your sleep pattern which can affect your likelihood of a migraine attack. Changes to your sleep pattern, less sleep, or more sleep can be a trigger for more migraine attacks.
Although summer brings about longer days and shorter nights it is important to ensure that you’re still maintaining good sleeping habits and sleeping patterns to reduce this as one of the causes of your migraines. This might mean you need to cut the nights back a little or stagger how often you go out late with getting an early night’s sleep – you know your body best and you can try different things until you find a good match for your sleep cycle and enjoying your summer. One of my biggest things to help me is having black-out shades to keep the sun out of my room till I’m ready to rise and bringing an eye mask to create a blackout when I’m traveling. You can also use a TENS machine to help relieve sore muscles from long days.
Alcohol
Summer can be a time where people get together and catch up, hang out and celebrate with some bubbly. Alcohol can be a migraine trigger and for some people this can be more common in the summer to drink alcoholic beverages more frequently. Additionally with summer migraines alcohol is also contributing to dehydration which can double down on potentially causing migraines in summer.
For some folk’s migraine is not an migraine trigger and this does not affect them, I’m very jealous of those people! For myself, alcohol is a big trigger and so I tend to drink mocktails when possible and alcohol-free fun drinks with friends. If I am going to have a drink, I ensure to stay very well hydrated and remain out of the hot weather to reduce my chances of a migraine attack causing head pain.
Humidity
High humidity and summer migraine triggers go hand in hand! Humidity and barometric pressure changes are more common to be on the extreme side during the summer months. Too much can easily trigger migraine and bring on several unpleasant migraine symptoms. Depending on where you live in the world the amount of humidity you’re exposed to and live in can vary significantly. I live in quite a humid environment for about half the year, and the humidity is challenging for many migraine sufferers in my area.
If you live in a humidity high area there are some things, you can help reduce hot weather migraine attacks. Remaining in a climate and humidity-controlled environment is one of the best ways to help reduce the humidity affecting you. This could mean using a dehumidifier, using an air conditioning system, or opening windows on lower humidity days. When those aren’t possibly stay well hydrated and use fans to help move the hair around your space when possible.
Dehydration
I am incredibly guilty of this especially in the summer months, not drinking enough water! A common headache migraine trigger is dehydration and, in the summer, when we tend to be hot and sweat more is when we need to pay even more attention to how much were drinking each day. This is even more of a concern for those who exercise outside in the heat, as that combination can be a perfect storm for a migraine attack.
One of the best ways to combat this is to ensure you are carrying around water with you throughout the day to drink. If you are working out and trying to avoid a headache during hot weather ensuring you have a sports drink to help not only keep you hydrated but replenish your vitamins and minerals can be so helpful! Here are helpful tips to beat dehydration with migraines!
Summary
This post is not medical advice, please speak to your medical professional about your migraines and follow the treatment plan and care they are providing. This article provides suggestions and tips that do not supersede medical advice. Summer migraines can be annoying and suck, it’s helpful to try to be as preventative as possible to help with enjoying your summer and enjoying the warm weather season!
Do you live with migraine light sensitivity? Be sure to check out 6+ simple ways to help when migraine light sensitivity strikes.
Molly | Transatlantic Notes says
I will definitely keep all this in mind as we’re well into those hot summer days that make migraines particularly awful. Thanks for the tips!
Mummy Conquering Anxiety says
Thank you for sharing. I definitely need to get better at hydrating myself.
Chronically Alex Jean says
They definitely can be, and they can sneak up on you too! I’m glad this post provided some helpful information for you.
I’m glad this was a helpful reminder, there are so many ways to help increase hydration you can use apps on your phone or electronic devices, carry about different water containers throughout the day, or have a buddy to help remind you to drink (and you do the same!).
I don’t suffer with migraines but my cousin does and these tips are very useful to help me be more mindful about potential triggers. Thanks for sharing.
I am currently struggling with a lingering summer migraine, we are on day 5 and while it has not been relentless, it has been present and makes sure to let me know it has not gone anywhere every so often. The heat in the UK is raising, and so is my chance at getting migraines! These are very helpful tips, thank you Alex x
It’s great to hear that this will be helpful for you to understand when interacting with your cousin – I wish them well in their migraine journey! Thanks for reading 🙂
Oh yuck, sorry to hear Simona, and heat can be so nasty with migraines and make you feel crummy naturally! I hope these tips can help a bit and provide some remedy when possible, fingers are crossed for lower temperatures ahead to provide some relief for you!