Avoiding Migraines

Do you suffer from migraines? We all probably do from time to time, but if you find you are having problems more often than not, there are a few things you should probably try. See, your migraines might be linked to your sleeping habits. The body's feel-good chemical, Serotonin, is dependent on how much sleep a person gets. If you aren't getting enough sleep, you may also be lacking Serotonin, leading to the migraines.

There are three things that really weigh in on the quality of your sleep: Noise, stress and medications. If you reduce the instances of these three, the better off you will be.

Migraine Triggers

A key fact is that light around your room while you are trying to sleep is a detriment to the sleeping process. Whether you think it does or not, lights will harm your sleep, and so does television, again whether you believe it or not.

Some folks find it hard to fall asleep without the TV on. If you are one of these folks, you don't have to change your patterns, but you should invest in a sleep timer for your TV. To assure that you are getting the best rest possible, you need to avoid all external stimuli that will distract your sleeping brain.

Stress is a whole different problem. Stress in hard to get rid of, but there are ways to keep it in check. One way to do so is to get plenty of exercise, which has the added benefit of keeping you healthy.

You should do your daily exercises before nightfall in order to improve your sleep quality. Ironically, exercising too close to bed time actually harms your ability to sleep.

And, of course, drugs can have a detrimental effect on sleep. If you have prescriptions, try to take them early in the day if at all possible. But the most common problem is something not prescribed: Caffeine.

If you can't dump the caffeine altogether, then you ought to at least decrease the amount you use every day. And, if you do ingest it in some form, don't do so in the afternoon or evening. Finally, caffeine is a notorious migraine trigger, so stay away.

Avoiding Migraines

Migraine Triggers

3 Natural Cures For A Migraine Headache

Only a migraine sufferer understands the pain. Regardless of how the migraine starts the end result is the same - excruciating pain that renders you helpless. Walking hurts, breathing hurts. Even thinking hurts.

People often discount migraines without any true understanding of the suffering a migraine can inflict. They treat migraine sufferers like hypochondriacs or drama queens. This is simply not so. There are any number of painkillers and pills available to help curb the pain. The issue here is that many of these painkillers require repeat prescriptions and involve an ongoing cost. The other side effect of many of the prescribed medicines is that they can help with the pain of the migraine headache itself but tend to have a "knockout" effect on the sufferer.

Migraine Triggers

Most migraine sufferers will be familiar with the "where did the day go?" effect of many of the stronger painkillers. There are natural remedies to the migraine plague. They're simple and cheap (if not free). None of these are to replace prescribed medication but can be used in conjunction with your medication to bring relief about faster. They also complement each other.

Dark Room

If you suffer from migraine headaches and an attack begins then find the quietest, darkest spot in your home and lay down there. The area or should also be relatively warm to allow you to relax faster. Your eyes should remain covered but open. This usually means using some sort of blindfold but a scarf, long handkerchief or other material works just fine. Keep your eyes open as much as possible because experience has shown that shutting your eyes to try and cope with the pain uses extra facial and jaw muscles that can just increase the problem and not cure it.

If an attack has already begun then follow the same routine and take whatever prescribed medication you have.

Relaxed Breathing

A migraine attack generally brings on a sort of anxiety attack in the sufferer. They know how much it's going to hurt so their heart rate increases. This increase in blood flow makes the problem worse. Once you've retreated to the quiet, dark area and covered your eyes from any possible stimuli then breathing is the next area to focus on. You must let your breathing relax. Panicked breathing will increase the pain you're already experiencing.

To allow your breathing to relax follow these steps:

1. Take a long slow deep breath and exhale equally slowly.

2. Again take a long, slow deep breath. As you're slowly inhaling focus on the sensation of the air filling your lungs. Feel the air filling your body. Once you've inhaled as much as is comfortable again exhale slowly. As you're exhaling focus on the sensation of the air leaving your lungs and escaping through your mouth. Breathe out completely.

3. Repeat the process of inhaling slowly, focusing on the sensation of the air filling your lungs and exhaling slowly 4 or 5 more times.

4. By the fourth repetition you should notice that your breathing is far more relaxed and calm. Your heart rate should now also have lowered back to a resting rate and you may even feel slightly sleepy. If so embrace that feeling and allow yourself to fall asleep.

Lavender Oil

This is the final step in the process. Lavender oil is renowned for its medicinal properties and this is doubly so for migraine headaches. Lavender oil is cheap and completely safe to use. Only use pure Lavender oil for treating migraines - lavender scented fragrances or scented oils are useless. It must be the purest lavender oil you can find.

If you feel a migraine attack coming then grab your lavender oil. Place a single drop of pure, undiluted lavender oil on each temple or behind each ear. Also place 2 or 3 drops of undiluted lavender oil on the pillow you're going to rest on.

Combined with a quiet, dark room and the deep breathing technique the lavender oil provides that final "punch" in the natural treatments. The scent of the oil will relax you and simply inhaling lavender infused air helps to ease the pain of a migraine almost immediately.

3 Natural Cures For A Migraine Headache

Migraine Triggers