Migraines can wreak havoc in your life and make it difficult to work or enjoy activities you once enjoyed. While there’s no cure for migraines, home remedies can reduce their frequency and intensity.
Maintaining a headache diary to record frequency, severity and duration can help identify triggers for migraine attacks. Make an effort to maintain regular sleeping patterns – going to bed at the same time each night and rising early enough in order to avoid caffeine later in the day as this may help identify triggers more effectively.
Identify Your Triggers
Discovering your migraine triggers can help you avoid them or recognize warning signs early. For example, food or lack of sleep could trigger headaches; keeping a diary to record symptoms could also prove helpful in this regard. However, some triggers are unavoidable such as changes in air pressure or hormone fluctuations (such as just prior to menstruation for women).
Other triggers may be more in your control, including eating regular meals, getting adequate restful sleep and staying hydrated while limiting caffeine and stimulants such as nicotine. You could also try cooling methods on your head and neck such as cold compresses or scalp massage to alleviate symptoms. Also keep a diary to track frequency, duration, intensity of migraine attacks.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep is key in combatting migraines. Their painful symptoms, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and other side effects often make sleeping hard; getting plenty of rest is paramount in order to battle migraines successfully.
If migraine is keeping you up at night, there are a few strategies you can try in order to achieve restful nights’ rest. Stay on a regular sleep schedule; avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol before sleeping; stay hydrated;
Migraines can become more intense when exposed to noise and lights, so creating an environment of darkness and quiet is often beneficial. Some of Graley’s patients find relief using ice hats or applying cold compresses directly to their head and neck – each individual should experiment and see which methods help them get restful sleep. It is essential that we find what works for each of us! The important thing is simply finding what helps provide restful restful sleep!
Eat a Balanced Diet
Migraine pain can often be relieved with medication, but diet also plays an essential role in avoiding future attacks. Maintaining a food diary may help identify triggers like alcohol, chocolate, cheese and citrus fruits which could contribute to migraine attacks.
Avoiding foods high in tyramine (like aged cheeses and some meats) may help those living with migraines to find relief. Furthermore, be wary of your caffeine consumption as too much caffeine could trigger migraines for some individuals.
Elimination diets have proven ineffective; thus it is best to discuss this decision with your physician prior to cutting out specific foods from your diet. Achieve optimal migraine management through eating a healthy and balanced diet by selecting fresh and whole foods while limiting processed or sugary items.
Exercise
Migraines are painful headaches that typically affect one side of the head. Migraines may cause nausea and light sensitivity. Treating migraines early may prevent their severity from worsening.
Regular exercise may also help alleviate migraines. Exercise can reduce stress, which is often one of the triggers, while raising levels of endorphins – natural painkillers which may provide some relief. Furthermore, exercising can regulate sleep quality and combat obesity – two conditions linked with migraines in some individuals.
If you are new to exercising, be sure to start slowly and gradually increase intensity over time. Strenuous workouts may trigger migraine in some individuals; be sure to drink enough water prior and during your sessions; current recommendations call for 15.5 cups for men daily and 11 cups daily for women.
Manage Your Stress
Stress can be an aggravating factor for migraine sufferers, whether from an exhausting job, long commutes or caring for children – it all adds up and can trigger migraine attacks in certain people.
Keep a migraine diary to identify your triggers and find ways to minimize them, while changing lifestyle factors can also help alleviate stress.
Stay on a consistent schedule to avoid interruptions, or join a migraine support group and share experiences and gain new coping strategies from fellow migraineurs.
Sleep and nutrition are crucial elements in managing migraine symptoms, but especially so for migraineurs. If these strategies do not prove successful, consider consulting your physician who may recommend medications to combat migraine attacks or refer you to a pain management physician who may offer tailored strategies tailored specifically to your symptoms and medical history.
