If you are dealing with migraines…first of all my deepest sympathy goes out to you. My personal experience with migraines started with puberty and one thing I have learned is that hormones are one of my migraine triggers.
I am not someone that suffers constantly from migraines, but this past year I have dealt with more migraines than I’d like to. As a mom of two young toddlers, migraines are very debilitating and it’s SOO hard to deal with them when you have young children depending on you.
After years of dealing with migraines I set out on a quest to recognize my own personal triggers. My hope is that some of these triggers may relate to you, if you or someone you know suffer from migraines. Even more, hopefully you can learn to recognize triggers and common denominators that are leading to migraines in your life.
Here is my top pixx/list of migraine triggers that I am learning to avoid as MUCH as possible.
#1- SLEEP: I have learned that my body needs sleep. No longer am I that person that can stay up past midnight and function well the next day. If I have a night of little sleep it may not be the NEXT day that I get a migraine, but within the week I can feel that migraine coming on. Bottom line, our bodies need a good night sleep to function. Granted having newborn babies and other circumstances can make consistent sleep hard, but if you are able to get 6-8 hours of sleep, your body will appreciate.
#2- Too Much Sugar: I had a massage therapist suggest to me that my migraines may be triggered by “a rush of sugar.” This therapist had mentioned that she found she stopped getting as many migraines when she stopped eating as much sugar. You are talking to a girl that loves her sugar …and yet, I have noticed a pattern with sugar and migraines in my life. I love sour patch sour watermelons, but I did notice there was a direct correlation with eating those and getting a migraine that same week…every single time! I cut out those watermelons and it has helped A LOT!
#3- Dehydration: I tend to get more migraines in the summer or when nursing babies. I noticed a direct correlation between not chugging water and getting migraines. I am very conscious about drinking water all day long. In fact, I drink Kangen water (alkaline water) which hydrates your body faster than regular tap water. I have noticed a positive difference with drinking consistent amounts of Kangen water and my migraines becoming less frequent. Bottom line—-constantly be drinking your water and I am sure you will notice a difference!
#4- Not overdoing it– What I mean by this is don’t run faster than you need. For example, the past few recent migraines I had occurred after two days of complete restlessness in my life. I went to a theme park for an entire day, came home and planned a church activity which I did the next morning…it was 30 hours of constant on-the-go and I paid for it later! Hence, I have learned that if I do have a busy day, then I try to take it easy the next few days. I sit down on the couch more and read or just try to do calming activities so that my body can recover.
#5: Hormonal Changes: Women may relate to this trigger more, but for me menstrual cycles often trigger a migraine. I personally track when my cycle is for many reasons, but a big reason I track my cycles is so that I know to start taking migraine medication during my cycle so as to avoid dealing with a migraine that week.
Migraine prevention tips: Magnesium supplements. Because I have had more migraines this past year than normal, I take Magnesium every single day.
*When I am pregnant and can’t take my migraine prescription or strong over the counter pills, my doctor recommends Magnesium 400 and Vitamin B (200) twice a day.
Another tip-as soon as you feel the migraine coming on, I would recommend taking an excedrin migraine with a diet coke (caffeine drink). If your body doesn’t handle caffeine well this may not be for you…but my friend’s mom taught me this remedy years ago and it has helped with the migraine pain tremendously.
Go see a neurologist if you are getting migraines more than normal. Neurologists specialize in brain and head issues and they can not only provide you with a helpful prescription, but with helpful techniques to avoid headaches and migraines.
An essential oil that has helped relieve the intense pain of a migraine is peppermint oil. If you place peppermint oil on your temples or the back of your neck it’s truly helpful in taking some of that intense pain away.
One last tip…get online and find a support group. Sometimes talking with others about triggers can help you track your own triggers. Migraines are miserable and just knowing you aren’t suffering alone is always beneficial.
Hopefully if you or someone you love struggles with migraines, you can get the relief you need. I am sure this will be a continual topic on my blog as I continue to learn more about migraines and how they work.
As always…I love tips and tricks from you. What has helped you prevent migraines? What are your triggers? Please share any tips relating to this matter.
Best of luck on staying healthy!
Until next time,
xoxo
Christy