Maintaining a migraine diary – either electronically via smartphone apps or manually with paper and pencil – can help identify potential triggers and give an indication of when too many painkillers might be prescribed to you – known as medication overuse headache.
Preventive measures you can try include medication, medical devices, supplements and alternative therapies.
Avoiding Triggers
Many individuals suffering from migraines find that certain foods, additives, or odors can trigger an attack. These could include anything triggering hormone fluctuations during menstruation or birth control use; food additives like nitrates (found in cold cuts, hot dogs and pepperoni); alcohol; caffeine; or strong odors like perfume – as well as stress which also may act as triggers.
Some migraine sufferers can lessen the severity of their attacks by identifying and avoiding potential triggers, while also planning ahead for any they can’t avoid. Diet, sufficient restful sleep and not overusing pain medications all help avoid headaches as does managing stress through exercise and psychotherapy.
Maintaining a headache diary template may help keep track of when and why headaches appear, while your physician can advise the best approach for keeping such records.
Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation can be an easy trigger of migraines, possibly by decreasing your body’s pain threshold and making you more susceptible to receiving signals from the brain that detect pain signals.
An effective sleep schedule entails maintaining a regular bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends. A warm bath or shower, cozy pajamas, caffeine-free tea or other bedtime beverage, dimmed lights an hour or two prior to sleeping all serve to prepare the body for restful slumber.
Avoiding food triggers such as aged cheese and chocolate, caffeine intake or changes in weather as potential migraine triggers is also important for reducing migraine attacks. A food journal can be an invaluable way of tracking potential causes. Weather changes often worsen migraine symptoms; many sufferers report worsening before or during stormy weather; excessive over-the-counter or prescription medication use may also contribute. Consulting with a specialist regarding triggers can provide further insight. They may teach coping mechanisms or other effective means of managing headaches more effectively.
Avoiding Stress
Stressful conditions like chronic migraine pain can contribute to headaches. To minimize their impact and minimize further migraine attacks, it’s essential that you identify which triggers are causing headaches for you and find ways to stop them before another attack occurs. It’s vital that you identify what triggers are and work toward eliminating them as much as possible.
Keeping a headache diary may help identify triggers. Writing down when and what exacerbated or ameliorated them as well as how long they lasted can also be useful for uncovering patterns, like eating habits which could be contributing to them.
Try eating regularly throughout the day and limiting caffeine, which is known to trigger headaches in some individuals. Exercise is also essential in leading a healthy lifestyle and relieving stress, as is taking herbal or dietary supplements such as feverfew, butterbur, magnesium, coenzyme Q10, or riboflavin (vitamin B2). But before making these decisions for yourself it’s advisable to consult your physician, as some treatments could potentially have harmful side-effects if pregnant or breastfeeding women use them.
Keeping a Food Journal
Keep a food journal to help identify potential migraine triggers and monitor how lifestyle changes impact symptoms. Record all food and beverage consumed each day on a chart or scale using grams or other measurements as this gives a clearer picture of daily intake.
Keep in mind that if certain foods or drinks trigger migraine headaches for you, it is wise to gradually decrease their consumption rather than abruptly cutting it out all together – cutting caffeine out completely may aggravate symptoms in some individuals and cause migraine headaches.
if home remedies aren’t helping and your migraines interfere with daily activities, visit your physician and seek their advice regarding preventive medication to decrease both frequency and severity of attacks.
