Headaches are a common occurrence for all of us. You’d be lying to yourself if you claim to have never had a similar experience. However, migraine is a whole another story as long as the true experience of having a migraine headache is concerned. There is a misconception that usually makes a lot of us label a severe headache as a migraine. But the reality of a migraine is much deeper and perhaps grim than that. This is the reason why we would like to get into the basics of understanding migraine better before jumping into what you can do to prevent the episodes and find relief in times of such excruciating pain.

 

A Brief Introduction to Migraine

Scientifically speaking, migraine is a type of headache that is associated with complications of the nervous system. Against the popular opinion, again, it is not necessary for the pain to be confined to one side of the forehead for it to be categorized as a migraine. As long as the pain can be defined as throbbing in nature or an intense pulsing that is restricted to any single region of the head, it is likely to be labeled as a migraine. What distinguishes a migraine headache from the rest of the types is its potential to stay for hours or even days at a time in the worst-case scenario.

More often than not, Migraines are associated with a wide range of associated symptoms. For instance, you are likely to feel nausea or even vomiting. In some cases, there would be a pronounced sensitivity to sound and light. Under such circumstances, there is a chance that you would experience a relentless need to stay in a dark place that is away from all the noise of the routine life. Research has also shown that a fair proportion of people with migraines also experience an “Aura” that can be defined as the warning symptoms which hint towards an imminent episode of migraine headache. The warning symptoms include and are not confined to the temporary loss of sight, seeing various blind spots or flashes of light, and a tingling that can occur either in the arms or in the legs.

 

The Probable Reasons Why You Experience Episodes Of Migraine

If you identify yourself as someone who has regular or occasional episodes of migraine headaches, it’s rather unfortunate to know that despite excessive research, science has yet failed to achieve a clear understanding of why migraines happen. It is given that the incidence is associated with a disturbance caused in the nervous system perhaps because of an imbalance in the essential brain chemicals. As a consequence, inflammation and swelling in the blood vessels inside your head can generate a pain signal of various intensity.

Nonetheless, we are not entirely at a loss when it comes to understanding migraines. There have been various triggers that have been identified to initiate an episode in the patients. These triggers can be dietary in nature, for instance, consumption of artificial sweeteners, citrus, caffeine, etc. has been linked to increasing the chances of migraines. Alcoholism and excessive smoking can cast a somewhat similar effect. Similarly, in light of the substantial evidence drawn from research that women are at a greater risk of experiencing an episode as compared to men, it is generally accepted that the occurrence may as well be linked with the hormonal changes specifically the one that is linked with pregnancy, menstruation, breastfeeding, ovulation, and the use of contraceptives. What’s more, is that someone who constantly thrives in a high-pressure, stressful environment has a greater chance of experiencing a migraine headache. Lastly, higher altitudes, strong fragrances, intense flickering or overly bright lights, and unusual changes in terms of weather may also lead to a migraine.

 

Things That You Can Do To Cope With Migraine Headaches

Now that you have been introduced to what it is and the possible triggers, it is time for you to learn the things that you can do to cope with migraine headaches. If you have [restrict] been clinging to medication as a form of remedy, you are not entirely true since a lot of pharmaceutics have been shown to be highly effective for the sufferers. However, there are multiple DIY strategies that can help you either avoid an episode of Migraine or minimize the associated inconvenience in an event that you already have one. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at these tips and strategies and put you a step closer to standing your ground against migraines.

1. Identify Your Triggers

As stated earlier, the triggers for migraines could be plenty and what makes it more complicated is that they are highly variable. Something that triggers an episode for your friend may not have any role to play in your pain, in the first place. This is what highlights the importance of focusing on each of your episodes starting from now and collect as much information as you can. Focus on what did you eat, what kind of activity where you indulged in, what was your environment like, right before the episode came knocking on your door. Once you put an effort into identifying a few of the triggers for your migraine headaches, you’ll have a surefire way to minimize the episodes by removing the triggers. For instance, if you find out that eating chocolates are likely to fuel the headache for you, you can convince yourself to cut back on the chocolates which will, theoretically, cause a reduction in the episodes of Migraine for you.

2. Expose Yourself To A Calm And Peaceful Environment

Regardless of whether you spend your day in bright, flickering lights/excessive noise or not, make it a habit for yourself to take a nap for fifteen to twenty minutes every day in a dark, quiet place where you are absolutely not disturbed for the time being. The best time to practice this would be right after you get back to your home after a busy day at work or perhaps at the school if you are in academia. This will enable your mind to recharge its batteries, reset its senses, and benefit from the surge of peace and calmness. If you can use this time and environment to meditate or practice mindfulness as well, the impact in terms of minimizing or avoiding the episodes of migraine are likely to be increased remarkably. The reason is that such practices are known to activate the natural relaxation response of the body and enable it to let go of all the stress. As a rule of thumb, therefore, the calmer the mind, the less likely is it to fall in the ditch of a migraine headache.

3. Try Temperature Therapy For Temporary Relief

If you are one of the relatively luckier ones who have an excruciating pain as their primary concern during an episode of migraine, then temperature therapy may have a solution for you. Remember that it is only useful for times when you are not excessively experiencing the other associated symptoms of Migraine including that of nausea, vomiting, aura, etc.

For temperature therapy, you can either use a colder than usual temperature or a warmer than usual, whatever is your personal preference. Applying such compresses in the neck or the head region can cause numbing of the pain on a temporary basis. For example, people who make use of the ice packs during an episode of migraine have claimed to experience a significant reduction in terms of the pain sensation. Similar is the case for those who use a heating pad as it has the potential to cause relaxation of the regional muscles. Moreover, keeping yourself well-hydrated has also been shown to be efficient for recovery from a migraine headache.

4. A Good Night’s Sleep Is Your Best Friend

If you have had an experience of migraine, you are perhaps already familiar with how it seems next to impossible to get rid of it without getting a sound, peaceful sleep for a few hours. However, what most of us don’t realize is that this strategy is not only applicable at the time when you are having an episode. Making sure that you are getting at least six to seven hours of good night’s sleep every day can naturally reduce the risk of a migraine headache for you as well. You know what that means. No more of that night owl’s life. Go to bed at a decent hour even on the weekends.

If you are already having an episode, depending on your access, it would also be a great practice to try acupuncture or professional massage before you go to sleep. In both cases, however, “professional” is the keyword. Pinching you aimlessly with the tiny needles is not acupuncture, neither is squeezing your muscles a massage. Get yourself a professional who knows what he’s doing if you want to relish the true benefits.

5. Try Minor Adjustments To Your Lifestyle

Migraine headaches have been largely associated with the lifestyle. As such, the simplest of strategies that can help you cope with it or minimize the episodes in the first place is making minor adjustments to your overall lifestyle. If such headaches have been getting out of hand lately, maybe it is time for you to give up on your habit of smoking and drinking. Even a layman is aware of the potential benefits of exercise not only in the realm of physique but also in terms of optimizing mental health. Why don’t you start there? It’s okay if you don’t like lifting weights at the gym. You could try stretching, or yoga, or cardiovascular exercises like jogging, swimming, etc. Whatever works for you really.

Do you have a habit of checking your phone first thing in the morning? Do you spend half an hour or more on your phone before you go to sleep? The addiction to electronic gadgets perhaps because of their bright, flickering lights can also stimulate migraine episodes. Take the challenge of quitting such habits for a month and see how it affects the occurrence of the headaches.

Is There Anything Else That I Can Do?

Thankfully, yes. If the above-mentioned tips don’t seem to be working as flawlessly for you as you would have expected, there is something more that you could try. For instance, you could try making changes to your diet. Cut back on the consumption of processed foods or chocolates. Owing to the relaxing effect of the essential oils especially the lavender oil, it wouldn’t be a bad decision to give it a go as well. Did you know that consumption of ginger has been proven with research to be almost as effective against a migraine headache as an FDA approved drug, “Sumatriptan”? If you are not allergic to ginger, it would be a great idea to use it in place of the drug and protect yourself against all the side effects. What’s more, is that you can get a hands-on experience of the herbal supplements such as that of Butterbur and see how that works for you as a cure for Migraine. Lastly, a lack of magnesium and B-complex vitamins can stimulate the migraine symptoms especially that of the associated aura. Dietary supplementation of such minerals and vitamins can also contribute to reducing the risk of migraine headaches.

Conclusion

Now you know that you are perhaps not as helpless against a migraine headache as you thought you were. There are plenty of home remedies that you can try even as part of a proactive approach in an attempt to avoid the episodes of migraine. We understand how frustrating the experience is. It has the potential to disturb your entire personal and professional life for a time being. Which is why the information is perhaps all you needed. There is no amount of persuasion required for you to start implementing the tips mentioned above and make your life a little easier and happier without the curse of migraine. [/restrict]