MILAN - The next time that you are suffering from a headache, it might be useful to set aside the painkillers and drink another glass of water. Sipping water regularly can reduce the severity of headaches and migraines, thus reducing the need to take medication. This assertion, as documented by the Daily Mail, was made by the researchers at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.
The headache
The scientific term by which a headache is known is cephalalgia, a disorder that has 150 various subtypes and which is caused by the alteration of physiological processes and mechanisms that trigger and may involve all areas sensitive to the stimulus of pain located in some areas of the head and neck. It is a disorder that mainly affects women: about 2/3 times more than men.
Let’s look at the main types of headaches along with the symptoms and remedies to treat them. Headaches can be categorised as follows:
- Primary headache (tension headache, migraine and cluster headache): the headache is not triggered by specific causes but is often linked to unhealthy habits, environmental or hormonal factors.
- Secondary headache (head or neck injury, infection, neuralgia, stroke, brain haemorrhage): in this case the headache is caused by a pre-existing illness, and disappears once this is treated.
The breakthrough
The idea came about when a patient suffering from bladder problems found that by drinking more water he suffered from fewer migraines. The team, led by Doctor Mark Spigt, conducted a study involving more than 100 patients who often suffer from severe and light headaches. They were told how to alleviate the discomfort, given practical advice ranging from reducing their daily intake of caffeine to improving their quality of sleep. Half of the patients were advised to drink 1.5 litres of water a day for three months, an amount to be included as part of their usual nutritional lifestyle. At the end of the study all patients who consumed more water reported positive results in a scientific questionnaire analysing the relationship between migraines and the quality of life.
by Alessandro Conte
November 30, 2016
credits: Fotolia
