A simple headache may lead to migraines. If you’re experiencing a headache with nausea and vomiting then it is already a migraine. Early symptoms of migraine are severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity in lights and sounds. However, symptoms of migraine have 3 stages. The first stage is the prodome, you will experience symptoms such as food cravings, hyperactivity, fatigue, or low in energy, depression, irritability, and frequent yawning. In this stage, there are no severe headaches but one can experience some behavioral problems. Migraine with aura is the next stage. In this stage, you may experience problems with vision, sensation, movement, and speech. Migraines with aura symptoms are difficulty in speaking, seeing shapes, light, or bright spots, feeling tingling in the face, arms, or legs and temporary loss of vision. The last stage is the attack phase with symptoms such as pain on one side of your head, either on the left side, right side, front, or back, or in your temples, dizziness or feeling faint, increased sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting. It is incurable, but there are natural remedies for migraines.
Home remedies for migraines can be easily done at home and it is less hassle because you do not have to go out and see a doctor for medication. However, visiting a doctor for a proper medication is also required if you’re experiencing severe pain.
1. Maintaining a Healthy Diet
A healthy lifestyle plays an important role to prevent migraines. It is one of the natural remedies for migraines. There are specific foods that migraine attacks. Example of these are chocolate, foods with nitrates such as hot dogs, deli meats, bacon, and sausages, cheese that contains tyramine like feta, blue, cheddar, and parmesan cheese, foods that contains Monosodium glutamate or MSG, alcohols, processed foods, pickled foods, beans, dried fruits, ice cream or iced drinks, and cultured dairy products such as yogurt, sour cream, and buttercream. Avoiding processed foods is one of the keys to preventing migraines.
2. Caffeine
Caffeine is considered as one of the natural remedies for migraines. The caffeine content of coffee and other drinks can ease migraine pain. It is considered a migraine cure to lessen the pain that one may experience. However, too much intake of caffeine can also trigger symptoms of migraine. It is recommended to balance the caffeine intake because it can lead to withdrawal symptoms like fatigue and more headaches.
3. A Dark and Quiet Room
One of the home remedies for migraines is staying inside a dark and quiet room. Finding the right spot in your room can lessen the pain of migraines. If you’re comfortable with your place, it makes you relax and have peace of mind. A dark and quiet room can help your brain to feel relax as bright light and the loud noise can make your headache worse.
4. Exercise
Exercise is important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Aside from eating a well-balanced diet exercise is one of the home remedies for migraine. A regular exercise and work out can help you to prevent a headache. During exercise your body is releasing endorphins, it is a chemical that is effective in reducing pain. However, if you’re in the middle of the attack of migraine it is not advisable to do exercise because it can worsen the pain.
5. Foods that Good for Migraine
Eating the right food is one of the best possible defenses against migraines. Foods that don’t have preservatives and artificial flavorings are good for people with migraines. Eating natural foods is one of the natural remedies for migraines. Some foods are considered “pain-safe foods”. Base on the Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) plant-based diet or “pain-safe foods” can improve health and it cannot trigger the attack of migraine.
Examples of pain safe foods are orange, yellow, and green vegetables, such as summer squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach, rice especially brown rice, dried or cooked fruits, particularly non-citrus like cranberries and cherries. Some natural sweeteners or flavors such as maple syrup and vanilla extract are also useful in relieving migraines.
6. Go for Ginger
Natural remedies for migraines include ginger. Ginger contains a compound called gingerols and shogaols that have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects. During migraine attacks, ginger can help you treat nausea and vomiting because of these two compounds. There is research shown that ginger powder can decrease migraine severity.