Migraines are no basic headaches. These painful, intense headaches affect 12 percent of Americans, and their symptoms and effects can last as long as three days. Migraines can be debilitating, but if you search online, you can find many remedies to try to achieve relief.
One way you may be able to relieve the painful effects of a migraine is with a natural, at-home remedy. Trying natural migraine remedies may be able to help you soothe your symptoms and get back to normal life sooner. You can search online right now for natural remedies to try.
Try the following natural remedies, which may be able to offer you some relief from your migraines and their symptoms.
Avoid Certain Trigger Foods
Did you know that the foods you eat may affect whether or not you develop a migraine? Certain foods are known migraine triggers.
Trigger foods include:
- Foods containing nitrates, like hots dogs, deli meat, bacon, and sausage.
- Chocolate.
- Cheese, particularly cheese with a compound called tyramine.
- Alcohol.
- Foods containing MSG.
- Cold foods, like ice cream or icy drinks.
- Processed food.
- Pickled food.
- Beans.
- Dried fruit.
- Dairy products with cultures, like yogurt or sour cream.
If you’re trying to avoid a migraine from the start, it’s a good idea to avoid these foods. Try minimizing the amount you eat, or you can cut them out of your diet completely.
Eat Foods with Magnesium
While there are a number of “bad” foods that can trigger migraines, there are also foods that may be able to help soothe symptoms. And any food that contains magnesium can be a great choice.
Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in a number of the body’s functions. It particularly affects your nerve and muscle function, and if you have low magnesium levels, you may experience more migraines.
On the other hand, if you add more magnesium into your diet, you may be able to ease your migraine symptoms or reduce how often they occur. You can work magnesium into your diet by taking magnesium supplements or by eating the following foods:
- Legumes.
- Nuts.
- Seeds.
- Whole grains.
- Leafy green vegetables.
- Fortified breakfast cereals.
- Dairy.
Try Essential Oils
Essential oils have a mixed history of effectiveness on different health conditions. But when it comes to migraines, you may have positive effects when you smell or apply certain essential oils.
According to research, inhaling lavender essential oil while you’re experiencing a migraine can give you fast relief. You should breathe in the scent of the lavender essential oil for 15 minutes, or you can apply it in a diluted format to your temples.
Additionally, another research study found that applying peppermint oil to your temples and forehead may stop a migraine. A menthol solution, like diluted peppermint oil, can help migraine pain, nausea, and light sensitivity.
Get Moving with Yoga
Moving or exercising while you have a migraine is probably the last thing you want to do. However, for some people, yoga may be able to have a positive, preventative effect on migraines for those who suffer from frequent or persistent migraines.
Practicing yoga regularly may help reduce both how often you have migraines and the severity of those migraines. It’s thought that yoga has a positive effect on migraines because it reduces stress, can affect hormones, and has an effect on the cardiovascular system.
Try incorporating yoga into your exercise routine a few days each week. While it’ll help your overall health and well-being, you may also notice an improvement in your migraines. Just try to avoid yoga while you’re experiencing a migraine – inverted positions can exacerbate your symptoms.
Try Acupressure
Acupressure is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, and it’s been used for more than 2,000 years to treat pain. And it may be able to help soothe your migraine pain.
Acupressure is the practice of applying deep, firm pressure on certain areas of the body. That pressure is meant to relieve tension and help with ailments or symptoms, such as nausea and pain. And acupressure may be able to treat chronic headaches, including migraines.
You can either see a professional who specializes in acupressure, or you can learn some acupressure tips and tricks to try at home. You can learn which pressure points on the body affect headaches, and you can apply your own pressure when you start experiencing a migraine.
Search Online for More Migraine Remedies
If you need quick relief you can try the next time a migraine strikes, you can search online. There are many different natural remedies for migraines, but you’ll want to research their effectiveness and how easy they are to try first. With an online search, you can compare different migraine remedies, their effectiveness, and what you’ll need to do. You can also discover more ways to potentially avoid or treat migraines that might be effective for you.