![]() ![]() ![]() Try MeditatingĪs many as 8 in 10 people with migraine report stress as a trigger, says Rebecca Wells, MD, an associate professor of neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and director of their comprehensive headache program. This is especially true for people with allodynia, a fairly common symptom of migraine that causes sensitivity to touch and other stimuli that aren’t typically painful.Īccording to the American Migraine Foundation, allodynia can make even normal activities, such as brushing your hair or resting your head on a pillow, very painful. If you are extremely sensitive to touch during a migraine attack, a massage can make you feel worse. That said, massage may not work for everyone, Newman says. Massage can relax muscles and reduce stress (another migraine trigger), which is one reason it’s been studied for pain management for several conditions, including headache, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. What’s more, when you feel migraine coming on, aggressively hydrating may help shorten the attack, says Roderick Spears, MD, endowed chair of migraine and chief of the headache division at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. When your water tastes better, you may drink more. Have trouble drinking enough water? Try flavoring water with a slice of lemon or lime or adding a small amount of fruit juice. If you’re one of them, staying hydrated may help prevent migraine attacks. Heat can help relax tense muscles, so you can also try taking a warm bath or shower.įor around one in three people who have migraine, dehydration is a trigger, according to the American Migraine Foundation. If you use a commercial cold pack, make sure there are no leaks where chemicals could escape and potentially harm your eyes, according to University of Michigan Health. To protect your skin, keep a cloth between your skin and the ice pack. “You’re stimulating other nerve endings where you’re putting the compress.” “It distracts the brain from the migraine,” says Good. Newman, MD, director of brain health at Atria Senior Living in New York City and chair of the American Migraine Foundation.Ĭold can have a numbing effect. “Many of my patients prefer a cold compress,” says Lawrence C. Apply a Warm or Cold Compress to Your Forehead or the Back of Your Neck Also, she says, if you’re sensitive to sounds, blocking them out could help. Good notes, but the chemicals released in your brain during sleep may help ease your pain. “Not all headaches respond to sleep,” Dr. Go to a room that’s dark and quiet, says Janine Good, MD, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Research suggests this may be why headache pain gets worse in the light and improves after 20–30 minutes in the dark. They help maintain sleep-wake cycles and pupil response to light.Įxposure to light activates the ipRGCs and pain-transmitting cells, spanning several minutes. According to a review published in July 2021 in The Journal of Pain, the pain caused by light can be traced to a group of light-sensing cells in the eye called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Many people with migraine report sensitivity to light and sound, which can make things worse. Most are free and don’t cause side effects. If you’re in need of migraine first aid, try the following interventions. But is there anything else you can do to help shorten the attack or make the symptoms more bearable until the medication starts to work? When a migraine attack sets in, all you want is relief, which is where medication comes in - for some people. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |