Migraines differ from other headaches in that they target the brain and can even lead to vision issues, making daily life extremely painful and disrupted.
Effective migraine management entails several steps, from acute treatments for attack relief to preventive strategies designed to decrease frequency and severity of headaches.
Avoiding triggers
Locating triggers and making lifestyle adjustments are both key elements to successfully managing migraines. While you cannot prevent every cause for headaches, certain things such as food or medications could reduce their frequency by being removed from your life.
Foods commonly reported as migraine triggers include chocolate, cheese, coffee and other caffeinated beverages, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and cured meats like bacon and sausage. You may also be sensitive to changes in weather, stress levels, bright light/motion/sound/noise exposure/loud noise exposure/strong odours such as perfume/cigarette smoke/paint fumes; skipping meals; as well as hormone fluctuations during pregnancy or menstruation cycles.
Many people with migraine find that adhering to a consistent schedule for eating and sleeping helps prevent or at least lessen the severity of attacks. This means not skipping meals, getting sufficient rest at night and sleeping in on weekends if they work shifts.
Getting enough sleep
Sleep is essential to health for anyone, but especially so for people living with migraines. Studies show that insufficient restful zzz’s can lower your pain threshold and increase headache frequency; likely because headaches, mood and sleep all use similar parts of the brain; any disruption could have adverse consequences on all three processes – lack of REM sleep may increase levels of proteins known to trigger migraine attacks.
Migraines and sleep have an intimate connection. Disturbances to your sleep-wake cycle may trigger migraines, while migraines themselves can make it more difficult to get restful sleep at night and interfere with quality restful slumber; both factors contributing to headaches. If you are having trouble sleeping well, try sticking to a consistent schedule – going to bed at the same time each night (even on weekends!) while rising at the same time every morning will help maintain regularity in your circadian rhythm, thus decreasing headaches risk.
Changing your diet
While no single diet will provide relief from migraines for all individuals, making smart changes to your food intake may help decrease migraine episodes and their severity. Avoiding processed food items could be particularly effective because many migraine triggers can be found there.
Maintaining a migraine diary can also help identify possible triggers for your headaches. Write down everything you eat and drink each day, marking whether or not migraine symptoms appeared the following day or the day after. If a food or beverage proves to be a trigger, experiment by eliminating it for several months to see if headaches improve.
Others find relief through reducing gluten intake or following a low-tyramine diet, while for others a diet without additives like monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium caseinate and yeast extract can also provide benefits. Furthermore, foods containing high levels of nitrates (like hotdogs or lunch meat) should also be avoided to ensure optimal results.
Talking to your healthcare provider
Migraines can be extremely disruptive, yet frustrating experiences. Thankfully, however, there are numerous treatment options available to manage migraine symptoms effectively.
As your first step in treating migraines, the first step should be speaking with your healthcare provider. Let them know how migraines have impacted your life and what therapies have been tried so far, such as medication, avoiding triggers or lifestyle modifications.
Keep a headache diary to share the details with your doctor. Doing this may help you remember key details, like when and how often headaches occurred as well as any possible triggers.
Ask your healthcare provider about joining a migraine support group, which could help relieve stress and assist with managing work life. They may provide pamphlets so coworkers understand your struggle better; additionally, prepare questions in advance so you’ll ensure all the answers necessary are provided to you.
