Migraine headaches affect over 39 million Americans – or 11 percent of the population – making up over 11 percent. Although every treatment plan for migraine headaches differs, some strategies may help.
Sleep and eating regularly as well as taking preventative medications like riboflavin, magnesium, feverfew or Botox can all help to decrease migraine days experienced.
Identify Your Triggers
Migraine triggers include anything that causes or worsens headaches, including food, weather changes and stressors such as caffeine consumption. They could include any number of triggers from foods to weather changes to stressors that increase or decrease migraine attacks.
Your healthcare provider can assist in identifying triggers and devise a treatment plan to decrease migraine headaches. They may ask you to keep a diary that details when and why migraines occurred and what happened the day prior, including anything eaten or done that may have contributed.
They may suggest changing your sleep routine by striving to attain the recommended amount of restful slumber each night, gradually decreasing coffee and caffeinated beverage intake, and exploring stress management techniques like biofeedback or relaxation training.
Keep a Diary
A migraine diary can help both you and your doctor identify patterns that may be exacerbating or worsening headaches. Record the date, time, symptoms and date/time/symptoms for every migraine attack to see if there are any trends emerging.
Be mindful of what happened in the six to eight hours prior to experiencing migraine symptoms – such as stress, exercise, food and drink intake, difficulty sleeping (perhaps tossing and turning?), menstruation cycle or temperature.
An app designed specifically to track migraine headaches is an efficient and customizable way of keeping a journal; its notifications allow for timely entries while its data graphing feature allows you to easily spot patterns.
Stay Hydrated
Migraines can be debilitating conditions that severely impair quality of life and activity levels, but you have control and can return to enjoying life by taking the appropriate steps – including addressing dehydration as a factor in migraines.
Consume lots of fluids to replenish fluids lost through sweat and urine loss, while also including electrolyte beverages like sports beverages or Pedialyte for replenishment. Eating six small meals throughout the day may also help maintain steady blood sugar levels, helping prevent migraine triggers.
Keep a headache journal to help identify triggers, like certain foods. A keto diet may also be effective; before embarking on it, consult with your physician first. Finally, drinking one glass of water prior to each coffee or caffeine-containing beverage consumption is advised.
Avoid Bright Lights
Migraine sufferers may be sensitive to bright lights, a condition known as photophobia or phobic headache. Many cite photophobia or phobic headache as one of their triggers, so retreating to darker, dimly-lit rooms during an attack could provide comforting relief.
Migraine sufferers should use bulbs with a Kelvin rating of under 2,700 to help alleviate migraine pain, since these produce less blue light which aggravates symptoms.
Avoid caffeine as this may be another migraine trigger for some individuals. Instead, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly as this will reduce stress levels and help to prevent migraine attacks.
Relax
Migraine pain can be excruciatingly intense and difficult to relax from, yet there are ways you can ease its intensity and lessen its occurrence by applying certain techniques.
Ice packs may help interrupt and dampen pain signals associated with migraines, while hot compresses may soothe tight muscles and ease headaches. Experiment both treatments to find out which ones feel best for you.
Stress is often the source of migraines, so learning to effectively manage it by engaging in mindfulness and relaxation exercises such as meditation, acupuncture or yoga may be beneficial in managing it. You should also eat at the same time every day so as to align sleep and meal schedules – which could reduce stress-related migraines. Finally, limit caffeine consumption!
