From Herbs to Lifestyle: 7 Natural Ways to Treat Migraines

• Introduction:
• Here are some natural remedies that can help your migraines:
  • Get sufficient sleep.
  • Improve your diet
  • Stay hydrated
  • Introduce exercise and movement.
  • Incorporate stress management.
  • Acupuncture
  • Supplements
• Summary:

Introduction:

Lifestyle modifications refer to things you can do yourself or change on your own that may help treat migraine. It is not uncommon for you to feel a loss of control if your migraine attacks are frequent. Working on lifestyle modifications to help your migraine disorder may not only help reduce your symptoms but may also help you regain some of that control over time. These lifestyle changes can also be helpful for other medical problems. So, if you have, for example, depression, anxiety, weight problems, or high blood pressure, you may find that the lifestyle changes that are good for your migraine also help these other problems.

Here are some natural remedies that can help your migraines:

Get sufficient sleep.

Get the recommended amount of sleep, around 7-8 hours, every night. Both too little and too much sleep can trigger migraine attacks. For example, if you stay up late one night or a few consecutive nights, you may have a migraine attack the next day. If you sleep in, for example, on the weekend to catch up on sleep after a busy work week, that can also trigger a migraine. Try to have a set time to go to bed and get up, regardless of the day of the week.

Improve your diet

Skipping meals is a known migraine trigger, and this can be due to drops in your blood sugar level, also called hypoglycemia. So, eating regular meals is essential. However, a lot of people with migraines find that if they eat too much sugar or other simple carbohydrates, these foods can trigger a migraine. While eating sugar will cause your blood sugar to go up, it also makes you prone to rebound hypoglycemia. Rebound hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar spikes and drops shortly after. Avoid eating excess sugars or simple carbohydrates, especially in one sitting. Adding protein to sugary meals or snacks may help prevent rebound hypoglycemia.

Other dietary recommendations include avoiding artificial additives like sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings. These food products can be triggers for some people.

You should also limit your caffeine intake. While many people with migraines find that caffeine helps them when they have an attack, using it regularly can lead to migraine overuse headaches (MOH). Limit coffee or tea intake to one cup per day or less. If you decide to reduce your caffeine intake, do so slowly. Drastically reducing your caffeine intake can trigger a withdrawal headache and a temporary rebound increase in your attacks. Speak to your doctor about the best way to reduce your caffeine intake.

Stay hydrate

Dehydration is the enemy of those diagnosed with migraine. The brains of people with migraines like to stay well hydrated. Drinking adequate fluids is vital in both prevention and treatment of migraine. Even fluctuations in hydration status that might not seem like dehydration may trigger migraine attacks. If you are in the early stages of an attack, drinking 16 ounces of fluid right away might be helpful. However, be sure those beverages do not contain any alcohol or caffeine.

Introduce exercise and movement

Exercise can be a double-edged sword, but most people can find the right balance with this. Exercise, particularly high-intensity exercise, is a known migraine trigger. And exercising when you have a migraine will often make you feel worse. However, some studies show that exercise is also a preventative treatment, showing that exercise is at least as effective as most migraine-preventative medications. The key is starting slow and increasing very gradually. The goal for most people is to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise 3 days a week. Moderate exercise means that you are still able to talk while you are doing the exercise, but you aren’t able to sing.

The brain affected by migraine is very sensitive to change. Your changes have to be small and gradual to avoid a trigger. If you have frequent or chronic migraines and have not exercised in a long time, start slowly with any exercise. Even if you start with one minute of light exercise, that is fine. Over time, increase slowly, listening to your body as you go and adjusting based on your tolerance. And you do not have to get to 30 minutes. Smaller amounts of exercise can still provide significant benefits.

Always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program, mainly if you are over 40 or have heart problems, a history of stroke, diabetes, hypertension, vascular problems, are pregnant, or have any other serious health problems.

Incorporate stress management

Stress management is essential for many health problems and is no different for migraines. Most people with migraines report stress as a trigger. You may find you get your attack after the stress is over, which is sometimes called a “stress let-down” migraine. This can be related to the release of the stress hormone cortisol, a hormone made by your adrenal glands, and other stress hormone, amongst other things.

One thing to consider is whether there are sources of stress in your life that need to be changed. For example, you may be working in a high-stress environment or have taken on too many volunteer responsibilities. However, stress is a part of life; we will all experience it. Stress management is more about changing how you react to or cope with stress than about just reducing stress.

One type of stress management used to alleviate migraines is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This involves meditation and teaches you how to live in the moment. Research suggests that MBSR can be beneficial in reducing migraines. Yoga is a mindful movement exercise that some people also find helpful.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is a standard therapy done with a counselor or therapist, is another option to help with stress, anxiety, depression, and other related problems that can also help you manage migraine.

Again, stress management can help with many other medical problems besides migraines, but it is one that we often overlook. Talk to your doctor about these options and what is available in your area. Consider the growing field of telehealth therapy.

Acupunctur

The acupuncture procedure has had mixed results in migraine studies. One challenge is the difficulty of conducting acupuncture-controlled studies. Just like when studying devices, it can be difficult comparing the effectiveness of accupuncture to placebo- a known non-effective treatment. Regardless, since the risks associated accupuncture are low, this is a reasonable option to try. Discuss this option with your doctor.

Supplements

Scientists have discovered several herbal medications or supplements that help prevent migraine headaches. These include riboflavin, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, melatonin, feverfew, and Vitamin D. Some of these may be helpful if you are low in a certain vitamin or mineral, such as Vitamin D. Others, like feverfew, may be helpful for anyone. Be aware that herbal supplements are not regulated by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) like other medications, so we do not know as much about them. The side effects and drug interactions are largely unknown for herbal supplements. Additionally, there is not much regulation in terms of potency and purity. While these supplements listed are generally considered safe for most people, you should talk to your doctor about what supplements you should take for your migraine, as they can have side effects and drug interactions just like other medications.

Summary:

Lifestyle modifications and natural therapies are effective non-pharmacological approaches for managing migraines. While these therapies alone may not provide sufficient relief for migraines, it can help reduce symptoms and the need for medication. A balanced, multi-dimensional strategy can reduce migraine intensity and frequency and also help improve overall quality of life.

Written by: myObMD writing team | Editor: Jennifer Abayowa and Dayna Smith, MD | Reviewed October18,2024 | Copyright: myObMD Media, Inc 2024.