Migraine and air travel

I have migraine. I learnt that Migraine can be triggered by the stress of air travel. If this is true, kindly let me know what to do to avoid another episode of Migraine since I will soon be traveling by air.

Emmanuel (by SMS)

An airplane headache — a brief but intense headache during take-off or landing due to cabin pressure changes — typically comes on suddenly and only lasts about 30 minutes.  But having a migraine episode before, during, or after a flight is another story. All kinds of travel-related things can trigger migraine. A migraine episode can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours, meaning it can seriously derail your travel plans if you aren’t equipped with preventive and defensive tactics.

Whether you’re trying to avoid a migraine attack during your flight or need to quickly treat one, here are some tips for handling air travel when you have this condition. Everything involved with getting ready for air travel — from the crowds and noisy fellow travelers to the less-than-healthy airport food options — could trigger a migraine episode.

Knowing this may help you prevent a migraine before you board your flight. It might be hard depending on the timing of your flight, but it’s important to get enough sleep before air travel. Try to keep it within the boundaries of your usual sleep schedule since lack of sleep is a common migraine trigger. If you can’t maintain a regular sleep routine, try to at least nap before your flight.

As simple as it sounds, water is an important tool in overcoming migraine. Dehydration can be a trigger, so be sure to drink plenty of water. Similarly, skipping meals or eating sugary or processed foods can trigger migraine. Pack an arsenal of healthy snacks with plenty of protein, whole grains, and healthy fats. This will help you avoid hitting up the airport snack bar and indulging in junk food. Good options include: nuts, oat or protein bars, fresh fruit and veggies, popcorn and whole-grain crackers. Be sure to avoid alcohol or excessive amounts of caffeine, too, while you’re waiting around for your flight.

Both are migraine triggers. Stress and migraine are connected, possibly because of fluctuating serotonin levels. Make sure you plan the details of your trip out well in advance. Leave yourself plenty of time to get to the airport, check your baggage, and find your terminal. Rushing around pre-flight will leave you more vulnerable to an episode. Before you fly, check your prescriptions to ensure you have enough of your preventive and rescue medications.

Talk with your doctor about refills, if necessary. Pack an emergency kit of migraine medications for your carry-on, not the luggage you’re checking. You want to be sure you have those medications with you in case you need them. If a migraine episode starts while you’re waiting for your flight, it’s important to be proactive in treating it. You might be able to prevent it from getting worse if you take your rescue medication right away. Find a darker, quieter, and more comfortable corner of the airport to rest in for a while before your flight. You’ve made it onto the plane without a migraine, but that’s only half the battle. There are plenty of triggers on board the plane as well, like changing barometric pressure levels, bright lights, and stale in-cabin air. Here’s how to cope. While migraine can strike at any time, take-off and landing are the two phases of air travel most likely to provoke head pain. Again, this is pressure-related. The pressure inside the cabin is different from that outside.

A similar contrast may also be happening inside your body. The pressure inside your sinus cavity remains at a different level from the pressure inside the cabin. There’s no surefire way to prevent this imbalance. But some people find that chewing gum and using earplugs, especially during take-off and landing, can offset it enough to avoid a headache. Maybe you’re sitting beneath the blowing air conditioning fan.

Maybe your seatmate orders the tuna salad sandwich. Maybe the person in front of you is keeping their overhead light on for the entire flight. Whatever the source, being on an airplane can trigger sensory overload. Being prepared to counteract your biggest triggers can go a long way toward preventing migraine.

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