Lifestyle changes are also an effective way of treating and preventing migraines, including limiting certain foods and drinks, sleeping enough hours each night, exercising regularly and eating healthily as well as managing stress levels.
Keep a headache diary and record any potential triggers you discover, such as aged cheese, chocolate or alcohol. This may help identify potential food triggers such as these.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Food plays an integral part in migraine attacks. Therefore, patients can lessen their episodes by recognizing and avoiding trigger foods, or working with a dietitian to create an individualized eating plan.
Maintaining a food diary may help identify specific trigger foods. Furthermore, it may assist with meal planning and creating regular meal and snack times in order to prevent skipping meals or overeating. Patients should make any dietary changes gradually as abrupt changes can lead to headaches.
Hydration is another essential factor in migraine prevention, and patients can boost their water consumption by drinking at least the recommended daily amount. One effective strategy to do so is adding water-rich foods to one’s diet. Ctrl M Health offers tools like patient handouts for migraine hydration to monitor this important aspect.
Get Enough Sleep
Migraine triggers can greatly impact sleep quality, and getting enough quality rest is crucial in managing migraine symptoms. Some migraine sufferers find that cutting back on caffeine or other stimulants helps them sleep more soundly; others can achieve results by adhering to their bedtime routine consistently.
Move Against Migraine moderator Rachel shared that one of her key tips is “strive for consistent bed and wake times.” Additionally, she suggested powering down all electronic devices an hour prior to sleeping time and setting an alarm on your phone to remind herself exactly when to go to sleep.
Drinking more water is another effective lifestyle change to manage migraines, and Move Against Migraine members report this is one of the easiest lifestyle adjustments they have implemented and it has greatly decreased their migraine symptoms. Encourage them to research recommended daily water intake levels and commit one week increasing their personal water consumption so that it meets those guidelines.
Reduce Your Stress Levels
Stress levels are known to trigger migraines, so finding ways to alleviate them is important. Luckily, many techniques exist such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy which may provide some relief.
An effective stress relief solution includes having someone you can turn to for support – be it friends, family, therapists or volunteering in something they enjoy doing – who can offer emotional assistance. Involvement with other activities or volunteering are also proven methods of alleviating perceived levels of stress.
Be mindful that it takes time and dedication to adopt new coping strategies and integrate them into your lifestyle. If your migraines continue, speaking with a pain management physician might help. They may recommend additional strategies or medications as well as tailored advice based on your medical history and symptoms; keeping a diary can also help identify what works and doesn’t.
Exercise
Physical activity releases chemicals into the brain that block pain signals before they reach their destination in the brain. Furthermore, exercise helps maintain a healthy weight which in turn decreases migraine risk in many individuals.
Studies have consistently demonstrated the positive associations between regular exercise and decreased migraine frequency and intensity, and regular physical activity. Some research even suggests it to be as effective as certain pharmaceutical prophylactic treatments in preventing migraine attacks.
Implementing an exercise routine properly means gradually ramping up to intense workouts; sudden jump-starting may trigger migraines for some individuals and thus it is wise to consume plenty of water beforehand to stay well-hydrated during exercise.
Individuals suffering from migraines should engage in a combination of moderate aerobic and high strength/resistance training exercises at least two to three times weekly, in line with current WHO guidelines. Customizing exercise modalities to better suit an individual’s needs increases their efficacy further.
