Dehydration is a major cause of headaches and can be a migraine trigger. It’s a risk anytime of the year, but especially in the hot months of summer.

In a study of hydration and migraine, people with migraine were told to drink an additional six cups of water on top of their normal intake every day. In the two weeks of the study, those who followed that instruction experienced reduced pain severity during migraine attacks and had 21 fewer hours of pain that those who did not drink extra water.

To stave off dehydration:

• Drink lots of fluids, particularly water. It takes an average of 64 oz to 80 oz of water to replace what your body loses every 24 hours, so it’s best to sip on fluids throughout the day. Limit drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol, both of which can be dehydrating. If you can’t stand water, sports drinks are a fine option, but many are high in sugar, which also means they’re high in calories.
• Eat foods that contain a lot of water. Fruit and vegetables are the foods that contain the most water.
• If you plan to exercise more than usual, increase your fluid intake starting the day before.
• Try to save your outdoor activities for cooler times of the day and spend as much time in the shade as possible.
• Ask your doctor if any of the medications you take could be contributing to dehydration and ask for recommendations to counteract the problem.

How to tell if you’re dehydrated:

• Symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, sticky mouth, sleepiness, tiredness, thirst, decrease urine, few or no tears when crying, dry skin, headache, constipation, dizziness, and lightheadedness.
• Gently pinch the skin on the back of your hand. If it doesn’t immediately flatten out, that’s a sign of dehydration.
• Assess your skin and lips. If they’re dryer than usual, you could be dehydrated.
• Press on your fingernail. The skin underneath will lighten in color temporarily. If it doesn’t immediately return to pink, you probably need more water.

REFERENCES

American Council for Headache Education (2013, updated). Dehydration: An Avoidable Migraine Trigger. Retrieved from http://www.achenet.org/resources/dehydration__an_avoidable_migraine_trigger/.

Spigt, M. G., Kuijper, E. C., Schayck, C. P., Troost, J., Knipschild, P. G., Linssen, V. M., & Knottnerus, J. A. (2005). Increasing the daily water intake for the prophylactic treatment of headache: a pilot trial. European journal of neurology, 12(9), 715-718.