Have you ever wondered why some people never get ill while others get sick as soon as there is a new bug going around?
Why is it that sometimes I can do loads of work or exercise without getting a migraine while at other times the most gentle of activities can set it off?
It can feel like my body is a smartphone that sometimes works with all the apps open and at other times crashes with just the simplest of tasks.
What if you could upgrade your body’s “battery life” to better manage migraines?
Let’s dive into two powerful concepts: physiological resilience and metabolic reserves.
Think of physiological resilience as your body’s ability to handle stress and recover quickly, like a shock absorber for your nervous system.
Physiological resilience describes the capacity of each cell or organ system to withstand and adapt to various challenges. It creates the gentle rhythm of homeostasis, the ability to resist the push and pull of the biological and social events of your life. Like a rubber band that stretches and contracts to the forces of life.
Metabolic reserves are like your backup energy tank, the extra fuel your brain can tap into when life throws curveballs like skipped meals, poor sleep, or stress. It’s the ability your cells and organs have to provide the capacity your body needs to provide resilience you need to function. Your metabolic reserve is the ability your body has to store up and replenish stocks depleted by every day activities. Like a factory keeping up demand it is what creates our physiological resilience and forms the backdrop to migraine.
Like most reserves your cells, particularly your brain cells, are vulnerable to depletion but are also capable of being strengthened and built up..
Why does this matter for migraine management? Recent research shows that many factors affecting migraine like stress, sleep deprivation, and nutrition are linked to disturbances in brain energy metabolism. When your metabolic reserves are low, your brain struggles to maintain balance, making you more vulnerable to migraine attacks.
Building up your resilience and reserves means your brain has more resources to keep things running smoothly, even when life gets tough.
For example certain diets, lifestyle changes and supplements can help stabilize your brain’s energy supply, potentially preventing migraines or making them less severe. It’s like giving your brain a power bank for tough times.
Imagine a marathon runner: the more they train, the better they handle hills and fatigue. Similarly, by strengthening your physiological resilience through good sleep, stress management, and regular exercise you help your body adapt to changes instead of being overwhelmed by them.
There are many factors involved with building metabolic reserves and physiological resilience from stress management and energy metabolism to infections, inflammation and even neuronal plasticity but where can you start today, in fact tonight.
It ends up that three important things, all in your control, can be started as soon as the next meal or the next time your head hits the pillow and they are sleep, nutrition and exercise.
Think of sleep as your nightly recharge. During deep sleep, your brain restores its energy supplies, repairs cells, and gets ready for the next day. Skipping sleep is like starting your day with a half-charged phone you’re more likely to crash when stress hits.
Food on the other hand is the data you give your body to work with. Nowi know food is a controversial topic but everyone agrees that the more processed the food is the poorer the data is your body gets. So stick with whole foods, avoid foods that are white in colour like sugar, bread, pasta, pastries, chips or potatoes and add in more protein than you think you need and lastly never skip meals. In migraine we want to maintain a good consistent energy supply for steady, lasting energy. Processed foods are like cheap gas that burns out quickly, leaving you drained and sometimes even poisoned
Regular movement and exercise is like running your engine just enough to keep it in top shape. Too much and you will run out of gas but even gentle exercise boosts your body’s ability to store and use energy efficiently, making you more resilient to migraine. As you build up your reserves you can use exercise to strengthen your physiological resilience
Ready to start building your reserves and resilience?
- Tonight: Set a bedtime and stick to it. Every night, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep, avoid your screen at least an hour before bed and try to keep your bedroom as dark as possible . Even one extra hour of sleep can help recharge your brain.
- Tomorrow: Swap the processed food for whole foods, add an extra portion of protein and start cutting out those nasty sugars.
- This week: Try a short walk or gentle yoga, movement that energizes, not exhausts, if possible aim for 20 minutes at the start of your day.
But what if you had a step-by-step plan, personalized for you? That’s exactly what you’ll find in Beyond Migraine:
A Step-by-step guide on the what, why and how of managing migraine aimed at boosting your metabolic reserves and physiological resilience, backed up by evidence and simplified just for you
Want to learn more? Click the link below to join our supportive community and start your journey to a migraine-free future.
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I’ll see you the next time