Lifestyle changes may help reduce migraine frequency and severity. Aside from avoiding triggers, other strategies include practicing stress-relieving techniques and keeping a headache diary.
During an attack, it’s wise to dim the lights and quiet your environment to limit sensory stimuli that could worsen pain. A cold or hot compress may provide temporary relief.
Avoiding triggers
When experiencing migraines, it’s essential to identify and avoid all potential triggers as much as possible. Common examples of triggers are foods containing histamine, monosodium glutamate (MSG), cured meats and chocolate; caffeine intake; light glare; strong odors as well as insufficient water intake should also be considered triggers.
A headache diary can help identify possible triggers and their timing. For instance, if a woman finds that her migraine attacks only come on when she skips dinner and feels stressed out, avoiding such situations could reduce the number of attacks she suffers from.
Exercise can be beneficial, but it’s essential not to overdo it. Vigorous physical activity like boxing and wrestling are known triggers of migraines for certain individuals; check with your health care provider before beginning any new exercise programs. Overusing pain medicines may also contribute to migraines – overusing can result in rebound headaches which are often worse than the original migraine attack itself.
Relaxation techniques
Breathing techniques, mindfulness meditation and progressive muscle relaxation can all be powerful strategies for relieving stress. Furthermore, they may help decrease both the frequency and severity of migraine attacks when combined with avoiding triggers.
Migraine patients should make time each day to practice these techniques, in order to train their bodies more quickly to react to environmental or internal triggers that cause migraine attacks, as well as recognize when their sympathetic nervous system has become activated, making it simpler for them to engage the parasympathetic nervous system and regulate symptoms by engaging it.
As you breathe in through your nose for four counts and out for four counts, hold for four counts before exhaling for four counts – this paced breathing technique can be done anywhere – however, for best results it should be practiced in the comfort of your own home. Stretches or yoga may also help alleviate tension in the head, neck, and shoulders.
Developing a sleeping and eating routine
Migraine sufferers frequently find that their sleep habits are altered by the condition, as the pain from migraine attacks may prevent restful rest which in turn triggers further migraine attacks.
Establishing a regular bedtime routine can help. Showering, turning off device notifications and dimming the lights all contribute to ensuring you have a restful slumber. Also consider eating light snacks before bed, such as crackers and fruit, to prevent indigestion while maintaining blood sugar stability during sleep.
Keep a headache diary. This can help you track triggers. A simple method would be to add green dots on days where the migraine was mild and did not interfere with function, yellow for moderate migraine and red if disabling; this will provide your doctor with the information they need for optimizing preventive and acute treatments.
Keeping a headache diary
An effective headache diary is an invaluable way to identify triggers and craft an effective migraine relief plan. By tracking time, location, duration and impact on life as well as any possible triggers – like stress or lack of sleep or certain foods – a headache diary provides insight into their development and relief plans can be developed accordingly.
Keep a headache diary in a variety of ways, such as with a pre-printed workbook or using an app on your smartphone. Smartphone apps may make tracking trends over time easier than writing reports; many even allow you to share this data with your doctor! Using a migraine diary regularly is simple but reaping maximum benefit requires consistent usage – an ideal practice before visiting a neurologist or migraine specialist appointment; Kane Hall Barry Neurology offers free headache diaries you can download, print and fill out before an appointment at our clinic!
