How to Prevent and Avoid Migraines

Migraines are a common health condition, with studies finding that around 18% of women and 6% of men in the US are affected. Although migraines can be excruciating and affect your ability to function normally, you can reduce their frequency and severity.

What is a Migraine?

A migraine is a throbbing pain in the head that is often accompanied by pulsing sensations. These migraines most often first occur in adulthood and can negatively affect one’s quality of life. While migraines sometimes just happen for seemingly no reason, they are often caused by known triggers. By learning your migraine triggers, you can avoid and protect yourself from migraines.

Common Migraine Triggers and How You Can Avoid Them

Preventing migraines is an important part of managing chronic migraines. Here is how you can avoid the triggers and get migraine relief.

Emotional Stress

Around two-thirds of people who suffer from migraines reported triggers from stress or anxiety, especially when this was induced by others. These people were more likely to report intense stress-related migraine symptoms than those without chronic headaches or people with episodic tension-type migraine.

Dehydration

How and when did you last drink water? Making sure you stay well hydrated will not only help prevent headaches but is also beneficial for a host of other health problems. Drinking enough water is essential for a healthy body, brain, and mind. This reduces sensitivity in the nerves, which can trigger migraines.

Irregular Sleeping Schedule

Individuals who have regular sleeping schedules may be protected from stress-related headaches. However, if you sleep on a different schedule than your body requires, this can result in sleep deprivation and the inability to restore your brain’s chemical serotonin levels. This hormone regulates pain and is responsible for many migraines.

Hormonal Imbalance

In women, hormonal changes throughout their life increase the risk for migraines. If you are experiencing any change in your hormone levels, it may benefit you first to consult your primary care doctor. Several other hormones regulate migraine pain, and there is much being learned about hormonal imbalance as preventative measures to control migraine pain.

Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine can have a similar effect as pain relievers and migraine preventatives. However, caffeine increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which causes headache pain. Therefore drinking caffeine is a migraine trigger for some people.

5 Ways to Prevent Migraines

1. Watch What You Eat

Some people who experience migraines are also sensitive to certain foods. If you are one of them, you should know your triggers. Also, if you have a history of migraines and do not know your triggers, keeping a food diary can help you pinpoint any problematic foods in your diet. 

2. Stay Hydrated

Many people experience symptoms of dehydration after consuming caffeinated beverages such as coffee or green tea, especially during migraine attacks. We recommend drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration as it helps prevent headaches and migraines and improves your overall health and wellbeing. Avoid this by always drinking enough water while on the go or at work.

3. Downsize Your Stress

A great way to reduce a migraine is to lower your stress level. Stress is one of the leading causes of migraines and can be reduced with exercise, meditation, and yoga. However, the benefits of these practices may be short-lived if you don’t learn how to manage your stress in other ways. If you don’t notice a change, you might want to visit your therapist for assistance.

4. Get enough sleep

Getting enough rest is also essential in reducing your risk of migraines. It will reduce the sensation of feeling like you need to get up or move and help prevent any headaches or migraines.

5. Visit your primary care expert

If you are a migraine sufferer, speak with your primary care physician about your migraines to ensure they are not signifying something more serious. Not all migraines need to be as severe, and if you’re experiencing migraines often enough, it’s best to be seen by a doctor to get the proper medical treatment.

Conclusion

When you have a migraine, it can seem like the world is suddenly against you. You might feel like you’re being attacked from all sides, and you don’t know why. But you don’t have to let it get to you. Preventing migraines is something you can do every day to help keep the headaches from happening as often. The key is to recognize the early signs of a migraine and take immediate action. This is the first step to migraine relief.