Research says that magnesium can help to reduce the frequency of migraines.

Lights hurt your eyes, you feel nauseous and you just want to hide away in a dark room until the pain subsides...sound familiar? The throbbing sensation that accompanies a migraine can completely take over your everyday life, so much so that you can't go about your usual tasks. Speaking to SELF, Richard Lipton, M.D., vice chair of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says that migraines often occur when the brain is "excited". The health professional went on to say how certain things can act as triggers when it comes to migraines. Lipton explained:

“That means that under the right circumstances, attacks can be triggered—drinking a lot of red wine, not getting enough sleep, a woman’s period—because the nervous system is sensitive".

Research shows that during a migraine, people often have low levels of magnesium in their blood. Apparently, when magnesium levels are low, the brain responds by releasing excitatory chemicals, such as glutamate, which only serves to intensify the brain's state of excitability.

"The thought is that when levels of magnesium are low, that makes nerve cells more prone to release these excitatory chemicals like glutamate and that might contribute to the state of brain excitability in general".

With me so far? The thinking is that by increasing magnesium levels, you can decrease the brain's excitability and so, the chances of getting a migraine will decrease. That's the theory anyway. Lipton says that although taking magnesium supplements is a good place to start, it can take some time before you see the results.

“It’s important to remember that it takes a while for the magnesium to build up in the body. It may take four to six weeks before you get the full benefits".

It has been suggested that eating more magnesium can also help but stick to green veg, nuts, seeds, bananas and avocados as dark chocolate, also rich in this mineral, can worsen migraines for some people. If you suffer from migraines and want some information on the topic, contact The Migraine Association of Ireland on 1850-200-378 or visit the website here