Managing Migraine the Natural Way

It is thought that 6 million people in the UK suffer from migraines, which means 190,000 people a day are having migraines.

What causes migraines?

The causes of migraines tend to vary from person to person, with some people finding that they suffer with migraines when they’ve not eaten enough food or had enough to drink, or when they’ve eaten or drunk certain trigger foods/drinks. Cheese, Red wine and Chocolate are all common migraine triggers, although not every migraine sufferer finds them to be a problem. 

Other triggers include strong perfumes, bright lights, loud noises, tiredness, stress, hormone imbalances and skipping meals.

Planning is key

Planning is key so that you can avoid unnecessary stress. This might include getting everything you need ready the night before so you have a stress-free morning, or doing an online food shop for the week so you have meals and healthy snacks to hand. It could mean taking a water bottle with you wherever you go so you don’t get dehydrated. Or putting dinner in the slow cooker before you go to work so you have something quick and easy for dinner when you get back.

Self-Care : You matter

Create a tool kit of ways to look after yourself, allotting time each day to do things that you love doing to replenish yourself. You cannot keep giving without replenishing your own personal stock. So pick something you enjoy and do it as often as you can. If necessary, put it in the diary as an appointment.

• Use a relaxation app like Headspace or Calm or look online for Yoga Nidra or guided meditations.
• Keep in a loose routine, going to bed and getting up at similar times each day even at weekends and eat regular meals.
• Take regular light exercise preferably in the fresh air.
• Meet up with friends regularly and have a good support network in place
• Have a regular massage or reflexology treatment and book your next one into the diary so it’s there for you to look forward to. Having a course of massages or reflexology treatments can help migraines, especially as they help to relax you, to release the tension in your muscles and improve sleep patterns. 

Talk nicely to yourself.

It’s important to be kind to yourself and to speak nicely to yourself. We can often be our own harshest critics. Self-criticism is very damaging. Imagine that you’re talking to a small child and think about how you would respond if a small child got something wrong. You would probably tell them not to worry and praise them for trying. Praise yourself for trying. Think about how you could have done things differently by all means but don’t be mean to yourself when things don’t go according to plan. It is ok to try things and for them not to work out as planned. Simply go to plan B!

If you like this post you might like to read my other posts on migraines

https://www.sarahcooper.co.uk/migraine-what-it-is-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

https://www.sarahcooper.co.uk/chronic-migraine-survival-kit/

Other useful resources for migraines include

https://www.migrainetrust.org/

Over to you!

Please let me know in the comments below what triggers your migraines (if you know what triggers them) and what (if anything!) helps them. How often do you have migraines? How long have you had them for? How long do they last?