S G BLOG POST: THAT BAD BOY - STRESS

     Stress is considered to be that overall feeling we get when our plate is too full.  There is too much going on in our lives and we are having trouble coping with all the pressure.  Stressors, or triggers, are all the stimuli that build and cause the BIGGER TRIGGER "STRESS".  (Click Here for Medical News Today on Stress)  It can be anything that changes the physiology of the body.  And that's the part we are concerned about - physiological changes within the body.

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     In my world, that of the "migraineur",  stress may be the biggest assault causing Vertigo and other neurological symptoms.  For me, it is a factor bigger than what I eat.  And the results are always the same.  After the final series of events, I wake the next morning with vertigo, nausea, fullness in my right ear, screaming tinnitus, hearing loss, imbalance and, two times, I have been picked up by an ambulance and taken to the ER.  I feel vibration behind my nose and tingling in my lips.  My eyes are sore and so is my neck.  I must look straight ahead and keep my head still.  If I stare at an object on the table, it appears to glide to the left.

The "stressors", or stressful events, that I know have affected my head are:

 1.Excursions into Los Angeles -  There is traffic in both directions, my head and eyes and body are in constant motion, I eat one or more meals at restaurants or when some other family member is cooking, I get home late, I am tired from all the events and my normal routine is way off.  I do not drink enough water.  My body is constantly adjusting.  It gets overwhelmed.   But I love going there and being with friends or family.

2.Exercise - My favorite form of exercise is walking.  I wear a sombrero hat and sun glasses, I walk alone in order to keep my head up and straight while I listen to music or a book and I walk during the cooler part of the day.  With all of this planning, I am only okay to walk 45 minutes.  If I stretch it to over an hour, I really have problems the next morning.  My body now seems to get fatigued  more easily.  I have to respect my limits.

3.Entertaining at my house - When I was younger the planning and executing of preparations for guests was something I really enjoyed.  I made everything myself, from scratch.   Now that I am older, it has become more exhausting.  It takes me a whole week to get ready for dinner guests and I agonize over every detail.  I do not trust myself to handle all the last minute details so I make a lengthy last minute list, by the minute, of what to do.  During the evening I am very busy, my mind is on high alert and I cannot relax until the guests leave (usually late).  I love having people over though and eating at home.  And switching to restaurants has its own set of problems.

4.My first major, debilitating  attack of vertigo came in 2008 when menopause began (talk about body changes!), I was very burned out  after having worked 38 years and we were in the heat of summer.  We had a potential buyer for our business which was both good and bad stress.  The night before we had made a trip to LA, skipped dinner, had wine and cheese, skipped water, came home late and had to be up early for work.  I was not yet on the Migraine program.  That was a major attack - with A-Fib and an ambulance ride.  No siren.

5.My second major attack came in July 2014.  We had returned from a two week trip and discovered a leak in a pipe in our pre-stressed cable foundation.  It affected a large part of the downstairs and recovery took two months.  I was tired, hot, not yet drinking enough water, still having menopause symptoms and not clicking with the fact that hot flashes may be dehydrating, not sleeping well (and not in my own bedroom) and was frustrated dealing with all the workers and the insurance company.  The initial odor and noise (blowers on 24/7 and large heaters, windows closed) was overwhelming.  We were eating out too often.  Vertigo hit and it was relentless.  Those guys came again and took me to the emergency room.  Again, no siren.

     Stress, for me,  is over stimulation from heat ( too much exercise), a big change in routine, reduced sleep, hot weather, work and social demands, dehydration, fatigue and frustration.  These triggers change everyone's physiology but  our "migraineur" bodies do not adapt and recover easily.  This makes sense because we know stress affects: blood pressure, breathing, digestion, heart rate, sleep and alertness.  Of course it would also affect how our neural network functions and the dilation of small blood vessels (maybe even the ones in the inner ear).

     REDUCING STRESS, AND THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN OUR BODIES, IS KEY TO KEEPING VERTIGO AND OTHER MIGRAINE SYMPTOMS AT BAY.