Migraine pain is indeed very common during this time. A migraine headache is a sensation of severe throbbing or pulsing sensation more commonly on one side of your head. Migraines can very painful to handle, interfering with your daily life activities in every way. They can bring on other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
While some people have seen their symptoms go away as time passes, doctors don’t know what exactly causes migraine symptoms. So, there is no proper cure for it but there are some ways through which severe migraine symptoms can be avoided. Your lifestyle and habits play a key role in managing these symptoms so; here are some natural ways through which you can reduce the severity of your migraine symptoms.
Keeping a check on your eating habits to reduce migraines.
Many factors contribute to Migraine headaches. In about 10% of cases, the type of diet that is taken is the trigger. Triggers for migraines might vary from person to person. Over the years many people have stated some items to be common triggers for them. These common items are:
- cultured dairy products (yoghurt, kefir)
- olives
- fruits such as citrus fruits and dried fruit along with papaya, raspberries, and bananas
- soy products
- vinegar
- tomatoes
- cheese ( mozzarella, feta, blue)
- Nitrate containing meals such as hot dogs, sausages, bacon
- Goods that are cold such as iced-drink, ice-cream or frozen yoghurt
- Items that have Mono-sodium Glutamate (MSG) in them
- Yeast
- Aspartame and artificial sweeteners
- Pickles
- Nuts (almond, peanut butter)
Apart from over intake of a certain food, dieting rigorously or fasting also triggers a migraine. Irregular eating habits also contribute to higher frequencies of migraine headaches due to blood glucose levels falling low. Try maintaining a regular eating timetable for less aggressive migraine attacks.
Managing a Healthy sleep pattern
Irregular sleep patterns also contribute largely to migraine headaches. In studies conducted over the years for migraine causes, half of them have confessed to experience migraines due to disruption in their sleep cycle.
Now, it isn’t just less amount of sleep that can trigger migraines but, sleeping over on a weekend too. One should definitely take 6-7 hours of sleep at a consistent time, especially those who suffer from migraine symptoms. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time daily. A good and healthy sleeping pattern can do wonders in increasing the severity of your migraine symptoms.
Exercising and Yoga
Adopting a healthy lifestyle and exercising has been proven to reduce the severity of migraine symptoms from time to time. Exercises like cycling, swimming, and most importantly a nice, pleasant morning walk will help in reducing the frequency of migraines. Physical activities relieve the extra amount of stress from your body which will aid in reducing migraine symptoms.
Yoga is another effective way of reducing migraines. Deep breathing techniques and meditation have shown to relieve severe symptoms. Yoga poses involving stretching help reduce muscle tightness in the neck, shoulders, and head as tightened neck, shoulder, and head muscles contribute to the worsening of a headache. A good sitting posture will also contribute to reducing the severity of migraines.
Reducing the stress that could aggravate the migraine.
There’s no denying the fact that stress contributes to many health complications and migraine is one of them. According to the studies conducted by the American Headache Society, 4 out of 5 people with migraines have reported stress as a trigger. Mental stress can originate from any stress-inducing task such as pressure at the workplace, in studies, or problems in one’s personal life. If stress is a trigger for you try eliminating things that might induce stress.
Taking out time for some productive and relaxing hobbies like reading, knitting or painting can help you relieve some stress. Migraines also arise from the stress of getting a specific task done or overworking yourself, try taking a break or giving yourself some time to eliminate unnecessary stress.
Massage to relieve migraine.
A good massage has been said to be effective in lessening migraine symptoms. Tense muscles often play a role in aggravating migraines. A good therapy won’t just reduce the headache but will also help in lessening it. A deep tissue massage or Shiatsu is effectual for relieving migraine symptoms.
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is known for its stress-reducing properties. Many studies have proven that lavender oil helps in lessening the severity of migraine by inhaling it. This can be done by adding 2-3 drops of lavender oil in 2-3 cups of boiling water and then inhaling the vapors. Lavender oil can also be used for massaging.
Acupressure
Acupressure is a massaging method that involves applying pressure on specific points along the lines of energy. this method has shown to be helpful in reducing migraine pain. Applying pressure to specific pressure points calm its effects. The most important pressure point for migraines is between the base of your thumb and the index finger. Apart from that applying pressure on some points on the head and wrists may also help in reducing the Nausea caused by migraine.
Limiting Caffeine Intake to reduce migraine.
Caffeine over the years has been used in many headache medications such as Excedrin, Anacin, and Midol. Many people who suffer from migraines have confessed that a specific dose of caffeine helps them in reducing the effects of a migraine while some people have labeled excess intake of caffeine as a trigger for them. This is because the effects of caffeine on an individual’s brain chemistry vary from person to person which is why caffeine is known to be one of the key causes for triggering a migraine. Increased consumption of caffeine leads to dependency on the drug resulting in less effective and hence, severe migraines. It has been advised to consume 200mg of caffeine on a daily basis.
Chocolate is another food that contains caffeine and might trigger a migraine. If that’s the case with you then you should avoid including large sums of chocolate in your diet as it contains amino acid tyramine which can trigger migraine in some cases.
This sums it up for the list. It is a fact that healthy living habits result in a fret-free, positive, and much healthier life.