MILAN – For anyone who suffers from migraines, the summer can be the most difficult time of year. The oppressive heat and prolonged spikes in temperature were thought to stimulate these chronic headaches. In order to confirm this scientifically, a study was recently conducted and published in the Neurology journal, reported by the New York Times. According to this report, the risk of migraine increases by 8% every time the temperature increases by 9 degrees.
Dehydration and migraine
As the NY Times announces, a simple step to reduce this risk, especially in the summer season, is to stay adequately hydrated. This is because dehydration leads to a drop in blood volume, which, explain researchers, results in a decreased flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. The resulting loss of electrolytes has an impact on the brain’s nervous system, which then triggers pain signals. As a matter of fact, scientists have highlighted the close link between dehydration and migraine in this study.
The study
The researchers used a group of people suffering from this disorder and divided them into two groups. The first group was prescribed a placebo drug, and the second were recommended to drink 1.5 litres of water (around 6 glasses), in addition to normal daily intake. At the end of the two-week study, the researchers discovered that the group recommended to drink water had not only increased their water intake by 4 glasses, but had also experienced 21 hours less of pain throughout the study and less intense headaches than the group who had taken the placebo.
