The first tip and maybe the biggest is to make a diary. Before you start to panic, I'll say this, you really don't need to put much thought or time into it. I found that the easiest way was to jot down a few descriptive words during and BEFORE your migraine. Don't forget the time! Is it worse in the morning, evening or in the middle of the day? Did you get in enough water, food, or sleep? What were you doing when you noticed it coming on? Where is the just of the pain located? Did you do something different that you normally do? I only recorded these things for about 3 migraines, then I started to get the hang of it and didn't really need to write it down. The biggest thing here is to PAY ATTENTION to your body! Below I've made two list's, "make em' better" and "make em' worse". (Remember, these list's may or may not help you).
MAKE EM' WORSE
- not enough water, food, or sleep
- lacking vitamins
- out of whack hormones-ladies
- food allergies-dairy, gluten, sea food, peanuts etc.
- allergies in general
- barometric pressure
- air quality
- too much sugar or not enough
- too much red meat
- other issues-tummy, heart, sinus, ear, etc.
- too much or to little caffeine
- vision/glasses
- stress
MAKE EM' BETTER
- water, food, sleep
- vitamins-multi
- vitamin D=lacking can cause worse pain, magnesium
- iron-ladies or if you've lost a good amount of blood due to an accident
- balanced hormones
- barometric pressure-for me, when I go to waterfalls I hardly have a headache
- air quality-for me, getting out of the cities helps
- genetics-if you can, check your genes, have any other family members suffered from migraines
- acupuncture-I'd suggest going to someone who has practiced in Chinese acupuncture, it can be pricey
- caffeine-sometimes if you get a shot of espresso or have a medium coffee at the beginning of a migraine it can help
- vision-for me, contacts are less irritating, and if you're on the computer for too long that can effect your migraines, for every minute you stair at the screen take that same amount in seconds to look at something far away
- ibuprofen-in small amounts, and use it wisely
- massage-again can be a bit pricey but worth it
- ice packs-using one when you have a migraine can be helpful but I'd suggest using a gel one or a soft one and make sure its not too cold
I'm sure there are much more things to add to both these list's but this is what I've noticed. These have helped me and others I've run across. I hope you find this helpful! Have a wonderful day, and keep smiling!
