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9 things you need to do straight away if you feel a migraine coming
Migraines are horrible. They afflict more than 1 in 10 people worldwide, and about three-quarters of them are women. Sorry, ladies.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do when you feel the first tingles of a migraine coming on that should reduce its effects. (No, a migraine is not the same as a headache.) Weve been assured as such by regular health and wellness contributor Thompson Maesaka. If your migraines tend to be seasonally affected, be aware that turning on your central heating as fall droops into winter might be triggering them.
9 things you can do to mitigate migraine suffering if you dont get aura warnings
If you dont know what a migraines aura phase is, its probably because you dont experience it. In that case, this list of 9 tips is for you. For more on aura phases and how to sensitize yourself to migraine treatments, skip to the next section.
Without any further ado, Thompson’s best tips for taking the edge off a migraine are as follows. Just remember, you’ll get the most out of them if you put them into action as soon as possible after the migraine starts.
1: Take abortive medications as early on during the migraine as possible. Abortives stop a migraine once it starts, writes WebMD, while preventives lessen the frequency and severity of the migraine attacks. Abortives include painkillers, NSAIDs, triptans, and ditans.
2: Drink electrolytes immediately. Look for sugar- and sweetener-free ones, Thompson urges.
3: Vagal nerve stimulation. At his clinic, Thompson uses both gammaCore and Truvaga devices that produce low-level electric currents to activate the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve starts in the brain and goes all the way down to your large intestine. This gives your rest and digest systems a chance to kick on and minimize the full presentation of a migraine, he says.�
To use gammaCore or Truvaga, use two fingers to find your pulse on either side of your neck. The vagus nerve runs through here. Apply a pea-sized amount of the gel that came with your device to the two nodes on the device, and place it over where you had your fingers. Increase the intensity until you feel light muscle contractions at the corner of your mouth.
4: Prepare the room. Darkness and quiet: Lights and sounds are particularly problematic during an attack.
5: Consider caffeine. Light caffeine intake will narrow the blood vessels in the head, Thompson says, and minimize some of the pulsing head pain from a migraine. Just dont drink too much see below.
6: Try ZLK. According to its website, ZMk provides relief by stimulating the tympanic membrane. This moderates pressure in the inner-ear and provides instant alleviation of pressure, tension and pulsating discomfort.
7: Use an ice pack, either on the head or the front of the neck, or both. Most people focus on the head for immediate pain relief, but ice on the neck can narrow the vessels that go into the brain and minimize some of the pulsing pain, Thompson says.
8: Stimulate the trigeminal nerve. Devices like Cefaly gently stimulate the first branch of the trigeminal nerve to lower pain levels, he says. The trigeminal nerve serves as the hub for processing head and face pain, so stimulating it regularly can help build its capacity to regulate the pain associated with migraines.
The trigeminal nerves transmit sensory inputs from the face to the brain. Theyre located behind the forehead. Stimulating them to treat migraines is considered safe, writes Verywell Health. Stimulating them is a form of non-invasive medical therapy, but you should discuss it with your neurologist or healthcare provider before diving in so that you know exactly how to proceed.
9: Take supplements. This could be your first port of call. Ginger can help with nausea. Thompson also recommends CBD and grape seed extract.
Storm siren symptoms to look out for to catch a migraine early
Some migraine sufferers experience an aura phase, which acts as a storm siren, Thompson says. It lets them know a migraine is coming, and gives them time to prepare.
The thing is, it might last for less than an hour, so it pays to know what to look for.
Thompson lists the following common symptoms of a migraines aura phase:
- Visual disturbances, or scotomas.
- Numbness and tingling in your body.
- Difficulty speaking, aka aphasia.
- Lots of yawning.
- Sudden feelings of hunger or thirst.
- Slow brain.
- Feeling off balance.
Moreover, he has a list of things people sometimes do that predispose them to be resistant to migraine treatments. So, if the tips above dont work for you, it might be worth considering the following list.
- Ingesting excessive amounts of caffeine (i.e., drinking too much coffee).
- Taking too many NSAID pills (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), since this is terrible for the stomach, Thompson says.
- Delaying action. A lot of these interventions don’t work if you apply them too late into the migraine process.
- Relying solely on medication to take the edge off, rather than pairing meds with natural lifestyle-related activities, such as dietary strategies and supplementation.
Dr Thompson Maesaka runs a rehab clinic called The Neural Connection, which specializes in the holistic management of concussion, migraine, dizziness, and whiplash injuries.
- SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE: A large bowl of hot water can reduce your migraine
