October 14, 2007
Lifestyle Change for Natural Migraine Prevention
Migraine sufferers are turning to non-pharmacological options to reduce the number of headaches they have. Prophylactic drugs aimed at migraine prevention can have many unpleasant side effects and do not work at all for some migraineurs (people who have chronic migraines).
A migraineur's lifestyle impacts the severity and frequency of the attacks and lifestyle changes, like those mentioned below can prevent migraine recurrence.
Sleep:
Migraineurs need to learn how much sleep they need and make sure they do not get too little sleep or too much more than they need. Patients who do not get enough sleep during the workweek who try to make up for it over the weekend may trigger a headache.
Exercise:
Physical exertion in moderation is good for everyone, including migraineurs. Establishing a regular exercise routine, at least 20-40 minutes of physical activity a minimum of three times a week, relieves stress that triggers headaches and exercise-induced endorphins are a natural analgesic.
Stress Management:
Migraineurs are susceptible to attacks during periods of high stress. If stress is unavoidable, they should build time for stress relief into their routine to prevent a headache. Good stress management techniques for migraineurs are massage, exercise, adequate sleep and a healthy diet.
Eating:
Migraineurs should eat regular meals at roughly the same time daily and not skip a meal unless it is an emergency. A good, healthy breakfast goes a long way in preventing headaches.
The most important thing is to be consistent with any lifestyle change. Migraineurs need regular behavior patterns and they must be applied on weekends and holidays, not just during the week. Getting out of sync two days a week by sleeping in, skipping meals, or staying up late defeats the purpose of lifestyle changes and upsets the balance created by having a pattern the rest of the week.
Recommended Reading:
- Exercise to Ease Migraines - The relationship between exercise and migraines is quixotic. Science says that exercise, by promoting the regular release of endorphins, the...
- Natural headache relief - The greater parts of headaches are caused by tension, which tightens the muscles in the head. Vascular headaches, such as...
- Non-Drug Treatment for Pediatric Migraine - The last thing most parents want to do is give their child a drug. Yet, when that child is a...
- Don't Stress! It's Only One of Many Migraine Headache Triggers - Migraine headaches are a type of headache resulting in pain so severe that it can be disabling. Typically, migraine headaches...
- Finding The Right Natural headache Relief - If you are someone not so literate about medicines and treatments, finding the right medicines for your headache can be...
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