Remedies including caffeine, massage, and over-the-counter pain relievers may help ease migraine pain in some people. Identifying triggers and some treatments may help prevent episodes.
A migraine is more than just a headache. It’s a complex neurological condition that can cause a variety of symptoms.
If you experience migraines, you know how painful the condition can be — and how difficult it can be to make a migraine go away. Prevention and early action when a migraine strikes are key to keeping this condition under control.
Here are 12 tips you can try to help treat your migraine early and keep it from getting worse.
1. Apply a cold compress
If you’ve ever put an ice pack on an injury or a heating pad on a sore back, you know the power of temperature therapy. This can also help when you have a migraine.
Cold therapy has been used to treat migraine for more than 100 years, but there are few scientific studies to suggest why it can help relieve pain for some people. Some theories have suggested that cold therapy can help constrict blood vessels or slow the nerve signals involved with migraine pain.
You may need to experiment to decide what feels best for you. Some people find that an ice pack applied to the head offers soothing, numbing relief. This is particularly helpful if sun or heat brought on your migraine.
2. Find a quiet, dark place to relax
Sensitivity to light and sound is one of the most common migraine symptoms. Get away from these things if you can. This can help you find relief from your pain and can alleviate stress.
Lie down and pay attention to your breathing. Try taking slow, deep breaths from your diaphragm. Feel your stomach rise with the inhale and fall with the exhale. This can help you relax.
3. Hydrate
Dehydration can cause headaches and even migraine, but new research shows hydration can reduce and possibly even prevent headache pain. In the study, people who drank their recommended daily water intake had headaches that were:
less frequent
less severe
shorter in duration
If you don’t regularly drink enough water, increasing your intake may both help reduce your migraine pain and prevent repeat attacks.
4. Try caffeine
For some, a cup of coffee may help stopTrusted Source a migraine. For others, caffeine can be a migraine trigger.
Regardless, if you do indulge in caffeine, make sure you don’t drink toomuch. Drinking more than one cup of coffee could set you up for a caffeine withdrawal headache later.
People with migraine who use caffeine more than 3 days per week may develop a dependency. This can lead to more headaches. Moderation is key with caffeine, but it helps many people find relief.
5. Address teeth grinding or excessive chewing
People have to eat to survive, and chewing is an important part of eating. However, studies suggest that excessive chewing might be linked to more headaches and even migraine.
Researchers focused on gum-chewing for the study and found that tension headaches and migraine were more common in people who chewed gum frequently.
While you can’t avoid eating, you may want to rethink chewing gum if you regularly experience migraine. You may also want to consider if you clench or grind your teeth while sleeping, as this could have a similar effect.
