Migraines: How To Help Relieve Them

Migraines can be triggered by any one of a number of factors, including psychological, food-related, environmental or physical.Common triggers include stress, exhaustion, hormonal changes, a change in climate and caffeine. Fortunately, for many people, a migraine often sends out signals, known as the aura, which can precede the actual migraine up to an hour. This gives the migraine sufferer some time to attack early.

There are several different ways you can help to relieve a migraine. Naturally, medication is at the top of the list for most people. As soon as the symptoms of a migraine begin to rear their ugly heads, many people begin consuming aspirin or ibuprofen to lessen the severity of the migraine. If you are a chronic migraine sufferer, you may want to get diagnosed by your doctor who will prescribe migraine-specific drugs that are more powerful than those found over-the-counter. Be sure to discuss proper dosages with your physician or pharmacist, especially if you rely solely on over-the-counter medication to help alleviate your migraine symptoms.

If, as a migraine sufferer, you hate taking medication or if you find that medication is simply not enough to relieve the intense pain, there are, fortunately, other ways you can help yourself. The best way to minimize the stress and, pardon the pun, headache of having a migraine is to catch a migraine early. Keep a mental note of what is triggering the episodes. You may find that a certain situation, smell or environment is always a culprit and you can do your best to avoid these triggers or, at the very least, understand that these triggers may cause a migraine and prepare yourself. Some chronic migraine sufferers often look towards the ancient arts of yoga and acupuncture to maintain their energy and prevent stress in their lives, thus minimizing the number of migraines they suffer.

Many migraine sufferers can do nothing more than sleep the headache off. One friend of mine says that when her migraines appear, even the light thrown off by a small dim lamp in her bedroom sends daggers of pain through her eyes; she simply holes herself up in her bedroom, closes all the curtains and shades, hides under a pillow (to eliminate any noise) and sleeps it off. Drinking plenty of water a day and doing a little bit of exercise several times a week (even if it is simply walking around the block to get some fresh air every night) have also been known to minimize the number of migraines suffered. You can also try pressing a pack of ice on the spot of your head that hurts the most. Some sufferers also swear by weekly or monthly body massages to keep their lives as stress-free and, thus, trigger-free, as possible.