Migraine prevention techniques help decrease the frequency, severity and duration of migraine attacks while simultaneously making acute treatments work more efficiently.
Recording your migraine triggers and their frequency can be one of the most useful preventive tools. By doing so, it allows you to pinpoint exactly what causes headaches and when they appear.
1. Sleep Well
Research shows that getting quality sleep is vital to combating migraines. That’s because sleep, mood, and headache are controlled by different parts of the brain – with difficulties sleeping being known to trigger attacks of migraine. Furthermore, having trouble sleeping may increase migraine risk significantly.
Migraines and sleep are interdependent; one may impede on your ability to rest, while lack of rest can exacerbate an attack of migraine. Therefore, it’s vital that an optimal sleeping environment and schedule are created.
Move Against Migraine member Rachel recommends keeping to a consistent bedtime and wake time each day, including weekends. In order to sleep soundly at night, caffeine and alcohol should not be consumed prior to bedtime as these substances may keep you awake. Earplugs may help block out noise and light that exacerbate migraine symptoms.
2. Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can be a leading cause of headaches and migraines. To stay hydrated on hot days and when spending time outdoors, make sure you consume sufficient quantities of water by drinking plenty of fluids regularly and keep rehydrating as much as possible.
The general recommendation for water intake is eight 8-ounce glasses each day, or approximately one per hour during waking hours. Many individuals need to replenish their electrolytes as well, such as sodium and potassium that regulate body functions – this may require low-sugar sports drinks such as Pedialyte.
Use a headache or migraine diary to record symptoms, their dates and times of occurrences, any contributing factors (e.g. dietary changes like adding or discontinuing caffeine intake); hormonal shifts related to menstruation; stress from family or work obligations or environmental factors like weather change or light or noise sensitivity;
3. Eat Right
Migraine triggers vary for everyone, but staying hydrated and eating a nutritious diet can reduce migraine attacks significantly. Preventive medication regimens may also prove useful.
As part of an overall health strategy, it is advised that you eat small, frequent meals throughout the day in order to prevent hunger-related headaches and maintain stable blood sugar levels. You should avoid skipping meals and limit fatty food, such as fried food.
Eat a balanced diet consisting of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins; avoid fatty dairy products, MSG (monosodium glutamate) and processed food products as these could trigger migraines in many people. Programs offered by organizations such as the National Headache Foundation that focus on eliminating migraine-triggering foods could provide another tool for mitigating headaches for many people.
4. Exercise
Exercise to avoid migraine-triggering headaches. But it’s essential that migraine sufferers find an exercise routine that suits their individual needs and allows them to stay healthy. If this is your first time exercising regularly, begin slowly and increase the intensity as time progresses.
Drink plenty of water prior, during, and post-exercising to stay hydrated as dehydration is often a trigger for migraine sufferers. High impact activities like weightlifting may also result in “weightlifter’s headache”.
As always, be mindful to listen to your body. Avoid exercises which cause neck or head pain during physical activity. And if migraine symptoms worsen after working out, stop the exercise immediately and consult a physician about possible solutions.
5. Relax
Migraines can be caused by numerous triggers, from weather changes to strong smells; but stress often serves as the most reliable one.
Work closely with your physician to develop a plan that helps you avoid migraine triggers and manage symptoms when they do occur. Your physician may suggest non-pharmacological preventive treatments like biofeedback, relaxation therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy as part of this approach.
To ease anxiety and reduce migraine risk, practice deep diaphragmatic breathing from the diaphragm with rhythmic or deep diaphragmatic breaths. You may also benefit from stress-reducing meditation apps available across devices. And for instant stress relief in-the-moment try 4-7-8 breathing: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, then exhale whooshingly for 8. Utilizing these techniques daily may help you relax more while also decreasing risk.
