Migraines can interfere with daily activities and it’s essential that you find treatment that works. Options available to you include over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like celecoxib (Celebrex or Elyxyb).
Your health may also benefit from keeping a headache diary and engaging in preventative strategies like biofeedback, relaxation techniques and exercise.
Relaxation techniques
People who regularly engage in relaxation exercises tend to suffer fewer migraines. Such exercises include deep diaphragmatic breathing, which slows heart rate, as well as tensing and relaxing different muscle groups to alleviate tension. Listening to relaxing music may also be beneficial.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and biofeedback have demonstrated their effectiveness at helping prevent migraine attacks, reduce headache days, and enhance quality of life. To be most effective, however, these techniques must be taught by a mental health provider with experience in headache psychology.
Behavioral therapy works best when combined with professional chiropractic adjustments to address the physical causes of migraines. Such adjustments can align and balance out vertebrae in the neck to relieve neck pain caused by an unbalanced spine; additionally, they may help alleviate stress-induced migraines.
Avoiding triggers
Some migraine triggers include weather changes, bright lights or noise; others could include environmental triggers like changes in weather or light levels or noise pollution; food-related triggers include nitrate foods like cured meats and chocolate; caffeine or alcohol may also play a part.
Stress, hormonal fluctuations (such as during your period), changes to sleep schedule and medicine can all be triggers for some individuals, while certain odors such as strong perfumes or chemicals could also act as triggers.
An effective strategy to identify possible triggers of migraine attacks is keeping a symptom diary, eliminating one at a time for four weeks until one proves helpful. Keep in mind that it may not always be possible to avoid migraine triggers completely but becoming aware of them and their effects is crucial in order to decrease both frequency and severity of attacks.
Getting enough sleep
Sleep is an integral component of managing migraines effectively. Poor quality rest can exacerbate migraine attacks and interfere with daily functioning, while inadequate rest may also contribute to depression and irritability which in turn could trigger migraine attacks.
During an episode, it’s best to avoid stimulants like caffeine and sugar as well as excessive light exposure or noises. Rest in a dark and quiet room while keeping devices such as phones or tablets away from your head; keeping a diary may help track when attacks happen and what works or doesn’t work in terms of treatments.
Migraine sufferers can take steps to improve their sleep, including maintaining regular bedtime and wake times and avoiding foods known to trigger migraines such as aged cheese or chocolate.
Maintaining a healthy diet
Migraines affect each individual differently, but there are ways you can manage and lessen their severity by working with healthcare providers to create a plan tailored specifically to you. Achieve relief quickly so you can return to living the life you love.
Although migraines don’t have a cure, they can be prevented through following a healthy diet and staying hydrated. Avoid foods and drinks high in fat, sugar or salt as this will aid your efforts to combat migraines and aim to drink enough water so that urine remains clear yellow color.
Maintain a headache diary to identify triggers. Doing this can help identify patterns such as when migraines arise and what provides relief.
Exercise
Migraines can be managed using medication, but lifestyle and exercise changes can also help. This non-pharmacological option does not interfere with current migraine medication, and may enhance quality of life for sufferers.
In order to prevent migraines from physical activity, it’s crucial that you choose an exercise tailored specifically to you and stick with it. Furthermore, staying hydrated during workouts by drinking water or an isotonic drink is also key.
Start out slowly and gradually increase the intensity of exercises over time to prevent your body from feeling overburdened by any sudden change in physical stressors. This process, known as graded exercise, is widely employed in rehabilitation settings to build tolerance of physical strainors.
