Migraines require medication and other forms of medical therapy for effective relief; however, lifestyle modifications such as regular exercise, staying hydrated, and avoiding foods known to trigger migraines in many people may also play a key role. Migraine tips include regular physical activity and hydration as well as avoiding trigger foods.
Preventing migraines requires understanding your individual migraine triggers and keeping a migraine diary can help identify them.
Don’t Overuse Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
Overusing pain relievers may lead to rebound headaches – also known as rebound headaches. Rebound headaches occur as a response to overusing acute migraine medications like ibuprofen, aspirin or acetaminophen, which have been found to alter how your brain signals pain signals and can trigger these headaches when used too long.
An effective migraine prevention plan combines medication, healthy habits and lifestyle adjustments that can prevent migraines before they even occur. According to studies, exercise has been shown to decrease migraine frequency for people suffering from chronic migraines.
An effective way to identify triggers for migraine attacks is keeping a migraine diary, including tracking food that contains histamine, MSG or chocolate; caffeine; cured meats; perfume or cologne fragrances as well as scents from perfume or cologne products. Cold compresses wrapped in fabric or frozen vegetable bags often prove effective for relieving migraine pain.
Don’t Try So Hard to Sleep
Migraine pain can disrupt sleep. But getting enough rest and maintaining a regular schedule may help protect against migraine headaches.
An effective strategy for controlling migraines is identifying their source. Everyone has their own specific triggers for migraine attacks – red wine, caffeine intake or withdrawal, skipping meals, stress, certain smells and lights, menstrual migraines, hormone changes and weather fluctuations can all cause migraines to flare.
Lifestyle changes such as maintaining a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity and managing stress may help relieve symptoms. Supplements containing riboflavin, magnesium, feverfew or butterbur may also be effective treatments. For people suffering from frequent migraines, an antimigraine device such as transcutaneous supraorbital nerve stimulation (t-SNS) headband that sends mild electrical pulses directly to the trigeminal nerve can be effective prevention tools.
Be Consistent
While migraine symptoms vary for each individual, research demonstrates that certain routines can significantly reduce both frequency and intensity of attacks, including sleeping well, diet control, physical exercise, hydration strategies and stress management techniques.
Keep a diary to track what may be contributing to your headache, such as food and stress triggers. Cold compresses, acupuncture and massage may provide temporary relief.
Migraines can have a devastating impact on work and family life, so it is crucial that any new or worsening symptoms be checked as soon as possible.
Preventive migraine treatment aims to decrease both frequency and severity of migraines before they strike, using medications (both over-the-counter and prescription), devices, lifestyle modifications and behavioral therapy as preventive strategies. Support communities such as online support groups or in-person meetups may also prove helpful in helping manage migraine symptoms effectively.
Keep a Food Journal
Diet is often one of the primary triggers for migraine attacks; however, pinpointing individual food “triggers” may be challenging. Clinicians therefore advise starting a general food diary while simultaneously recording headache attacks in their migraine journal.
This method will often reveal patterns that indicate specific foods as potential migraine triggers, including aged cheese, chocolate and caffeine. Furthermore, this approach can identify skipped meals that have been linked with migraines in many instances.
If the food/headache diary fails to reveal potential trigger foods, many will turn to an elimination diet as an effective means to discover which specific food items trigger migraine attacks. Although time consuming, this method will enable individuals to identify personal triggers.
Dim the Lights
Bright lights can be an aggravating trigger of migraines and make an existing headache even worse, known as photophobia. Dealing with photophobia can be one of the hardest aspects of dealing with migraines; so seeking refuge in dark rooms as soon as symptoms emerge or an attack hits can help a great deal – blackout curtains, sunglasses, flickering/flashing lights should all be avoided along with soft and warm lighting bulbs which produce less harsh lights are recommended and will likely not trigger another attack.
If your friend’s room is too bright for your comfort, ask her to “dim the lights” so you can have an enjoyable movie watching experience together.
