Lifestyle changes can play an integral part in mitigating migraine attacks, including getting enough restful sleep, eating healthily, and staying hydrated – which all play an integral part in mitigating migraine attacks.
Encourage them to establish a regular bedtime routine and schedule, along with drinking daily water recommendations as recommended by Ctrl M Health (see patient handout on Hydration for Migraines here).
Avoiding Triggers
Migraines can be caused by many things, from foods and smells to weather changes and lack of sleep. To be most effective in managing migraine attacks, it’s essential to identify what triggers them for you personally and then work toward eliminating or managing them as soon as possible.
Foods known to trigger migraines include aged cheese, dairy products, chocolate, caffeine and alcohol. A food diary can be helpful in identifying migraine triggers – and, once identified, can often help eliminate them as sources of headaches.
Drink plenty of water daily – US adults only drink an average of 39 ounces daily, far lower than current recommendations and possibly leading to dehydration and headaches for some migraine sufferers.
Patients suffering from migraine should speak to their healthcare provider about a plan for increasing hydration as a lifestyle change that could potentially have an impactful positive outcome on headaches and migraines. Ctrl M Health offers a patient handout on nutrition for migraine, while registered dietitians offer tailored diet and health plans suited to individual symptoms and needs.
Getting Enough Sleep
Migraine brains do not like change, which includes changes to our sleep schedule. According to research, regular and quality restful sleep can reduce both migraine frequency and severity.
Try your best to go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each night, whenever possible. While this can be challenging when your work or school schedule changes or when traveling, consistency is key.
Migraine patients having trouble sleeping may benefit from turning off or limiting the use of electronic devices (tablets, computers, smartphones) several hours prior to bedtime as the light they emit can keep the brain awake.
Migraine sufferers should drink at least 11.5 cups of water each day to promote healthy hydration and aid recovery from migraine. This simple lifestyle change can have a lasting impact on health and wellbeing (Ctrl M Health offers a patient handout on this topic here). Knowledge is power; knowing more about managing migraines gives you more power over them.
Eating Mindfully
Many migraine sufferers are susceptible to certain foods that trigger their headaches, so eating fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains could help lower the frequency of migraine attacks.
Consider cutting back on processed food and limiting caffeine, sugary drinks and aged cheese consumption. A food diary can also help identify possible migraine triggers; if one or more food seems to aggravate your migraines try eliminating it from your diet for a time until further evaluation takes place.
Take the time to enjoy each bite by slowly chewing each mouthful and pausing between bites – you could even put down your fork between bites if needed! Also, regular exercise can help manage stress levels; according to studies, physical activity has been shown to reduce migraine episodes each month and make you less anxious overall. Start today by walking or swimming in your favorite body of water!
Managing Stress
Stress is often the source of migraine headaches. Stressful situations can increase headaches or worsen them once they begin, so learning ways to control stress may prove useful in treating migraines.
Exercise can help relieve stress. Furthermore, moderate physical activity is generally safe for migraine sufferers.
Establishing a regular schedule for sleep, meal times and other daily activities can also be extremely helpful in combating migraines. Setting wake-up and eating hours will allow you to avoid hormonal shifts which can trigger migraine attacks in some individuals.
Maintaining a food journal can help migraine sufferers identify food triggers. Common examples include aged cheeses, chocolate and caffeine as possible triggers. It is also essential that migraine sufferers drink enough water each day; those who try to meet recommended intake levels often see improvement within one week.