Migraine Remedies: Here are 5 ways to get rid of it

Migraine remedies are essential to anyone who has experienced a migraine before. But before we talk about remedy for migraines let’s learn about what migraines are and any other thing related to it.

What is migraine

Migraine is a particular type of headache that usually presents as a throbbing or pulsating pain. It is mostly localized at one part of the head. This type of pain is of neurological onset and may also present with other clinical symptoms. 

Other symptoms often associated with migraines include nausea, vomiting, and sometimes difficulty in speaking. Another common presentation that may be found with migraine is sensitivity to light and sound.

If you suffer a migraine, you are likely to have an increase in the intensity of the pain when exposed to light or sound. As such you realize that with any little noise that people around you make, the headache becomes severe.

Migraine can typically last from a few hours to even days. Sometimes, a few hours or days before the onset of a migraine, some people who suffer migraines may have some nonspecific symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, constipation, or diarrhea.

How can you know that you have a migraine?

Migraine is a type of headache but not all headaches are migraines. So then, how do you know whether the headache that you are having is a common headache or is a migraine attack? 

Well, you can only establish that the pain you are having in your head is migraine and not any other type of headache when you have holistically considered all the symptoms that you are having and any that preceded the headache.

There are four (4) main characteristics of migraines and you need to know and appreciate these characteristics before you can confidently say that you have migraine or not.

These four characteristics are:

• A one-sided type of headache
• The pain is throbbing in nature
• The intensity of the pain is graded moderately to severe according to the sufferer
• The pain worsens with some sort of physical activity like walking down or up the stairs.

(Broner, 2020)

To tell that you have migraine, you must have at least two out of the four main characteristics of a migraine listed above.

If you have at least 2 of the above symptoms and the pain comes on frequently, then you need to see your doctor.

What should you do when you have a migraine attack?

The headache associated with migraines can be very debilitating to the sufferer and hence prompt action to relieve the pain is needed. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a cure for migraines. 

However, there are some things that can be done to relieve the headache or reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. These are the popularly known migraine remedies that available.

Here are 5 things that can either relieve the headache or reduce the frequency of the migraines.

5 Common Migraine Remedies

1. Identify and avoid triggers

Even though the definitive cause of migraine has not been fully established, it is known that certain factors can influence it. Such factors are referred to as triggers. The triggers of migraine that has been identified include the following:

• Some medications such as vasodilators 
• Intense physical exertion from excessive exercise or sexual activity or any other form of physical activity
• Stress 
• Alcohol
• Changes in weather conditions
• Hormonal changes
• Skipping meals
• Constipation

Since the above-listed triggers have been established to induce migraines in one way or the other, if you are prone to migraine attacks or you are suffering a migraine, then you have to try and avoid any of these triggers.

2. Taking migraine remedy medications

If you are having a migraine attack then you may need medicine to help relieve some of the symptoms. This is important because the pain that you may be suffering can be so severe that you cannot concentrate on any other thing.

Since migraines may present with other symptoms apart from the debilitating headache, some other medicines may be required to cater for any other symptom that you may have.

For example, if your migraine presents with nausea and vomiting, then you may need an agent that will resolve nausea and vomiting as well as an agent that will relieve the headache.

3. Sleep as a remedy for migraine

One of the commonest triggers of migraines has been found to be changes in sleep patterns. If you are prone to migraines and you like skipping sleep then you are likely to suffer frequent migraines.

Also, for some people, sleeping too much can also trigger migraines.

It is therefore important to ensure a well-balanced sleep pattern. Also, ensure that you have quality sleep time devoid of various forms of distractions. 

In addition to this, we have established that stress is also a common trigger of migraine and hence you should get enough rest. Any time you feel stressed out, you can get some rest by taking a nap.

4. Local and Non-Pharmacological migraine remedies

There are various local remedies that may be helpful whenever you have a migraine attack. These remedies are aimed at reducing the intensity of headaches that you may be having.

Some of these remedies that have been found to be effective for some people include:

• Drinking lots of liquids (Stay hydrated always)
• Applying flexible cold packs on the side of the head that is aching
• Get Quality Sleep
• Exercising regularly
• Avoid smoking
• Herbs, vitamins, and minerals: Some herbs like feverfew and vitamins like vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) have been found to be of help in managing as well as preventing migraines.

5. Stay in a quiet and darkroom as opposed to a noisy and well-lit room

Because sound and light have been established as possible triggers for migraines, you should try your best to avoid them as much as possible. Some people who suffer migraines usually have warning signs called the “aura”. 

You have to try and identify how the aura is like for you so that at any point in time when you get something like that you are aware that a migraine attack is imminent. More importantly, anytime, you experience an aura, you want to avoid any possible trigger. 

If you find yourself in such a situation then try and stay indoors. You can possibly lock yourself up in a quiet room with minimum light exposure or you can turn off the lights and try sleeping.

Most often than not, you will wake up later with a reduced migraine intensity.

Are migraines chronic and can it give me complications?

Well, migraines cannot be cured as you may expect. At least with the knowledge available about the management, it is not curable but can be managed. 

The goal of management is usually focused on preventing or reducing the frequency of attack. If you adhere to the advice above, you are likely not to have frequent attacks.

With regards to having complications, the migraine itself may not necessarily give you complications except in a few rare instances. The more pressing issue with complications comes from the overuse of pain medications.

Abuse or overuse of pain medicines like aspirin or ibuprofen is known to cause stomach ulceration. Also, in some cases, the overuse has been linked to medication induced headaches as well.

In conclusion, the above ways indicated can be employed as remedies for migraines however, if the headache that you have is not a migraine then you have to look out for other possible causes of headaches. I have listed about 15 causes of headaches, check them out for yourself.

References

1. Broner, Susan W. Health Matters. [Accessed on December 12, 2020] Available at: https://healthmatters.nyp.org/new-hope-for-migraine-sufferers/ 
2. Cleveland Clinic, 2018. “Migraine Headaches.” Cleveland Clinic. Available at https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5005-migraine-headaches#:~:text=A%20migraine%20headache%20is%20a,light%2C%20sound%20or%20physical%20movement. [Accessed on December 12, 2020]
3. Webmd and Melinda Ratini, 2020. “What is migraine” Webmd. Available at https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/migraines-headaches-migraines. [Accessed on December 12, 2020]