Last updated on May 12th, 2020 at 07:35 am
We all have experienced normal headaches after a tiring day or when you are too stressed up but it goes away once you take some rest. But, if you have experienced migraine headache, then you will definitely know that it is not the typical headache that automatically goes with some rest. Migraine headache is quite a severe problem and anyone who faces it will literally try out any means to get rid of the migraine headache. And if you are experiencing migraine headache quite often and wondering how to get rid of migraine headache naturally, then here’s the post worth checking. Today, I am sharing a few of the best natural home remedies for migraine headache that can help you get rid of migraine attacks fast and easily.
It is basically a part of the neurological condition and it requires immediate attention and treatment. If it’s left unattended, then migraine pain may take a chronic shape. Thankfully, there are pain killers that one can use to kill migraine pain. But if you experience the pain all of a sudden or if you do not have medicines readily available at your home then you need to take some measures which will give you quick relief. And that is exactly when these migraine headache home remedies can come handy.
These home remedies can be of great help in such cases and you can use some of these migraine headache remedies to get rid of the migraine pain fast and naturally. It is very important for us to know about these first aid remedies so that it becomes easy for us to tackle emergency situations of migraine pain.
Most common causes of migraine
The problem of Migraine is becoming quite common day by day with the Migraine Research Center estimating around 11 percent of Americans to be suffering from this severe form of headache. Migraines are accompanied by symptoms like throbbing pain, feeling of nausea, blurred vision, vomiting, numbness or tingling sensation in the hands or feet and sensitivity to sounds, lights, touch or smell. Interestingly, it is more common with women. The reasons may be related to the menstruation, pregnancy, menopause etc. But, there are other causes as well, that may trigger the occurrence of migraine headache. You must be aware of all of them to avoid this terrible pain.
Listed below are the most common causes of migraine headache:
- Family history
- Hormonal fluctuations
- Emotional stress
- Drastic weather changes
- Lack of proper sleep
- Dehydration
- Excessive consumption of salty and processed foods
- Excessive intake of alcohol and caffeine
- Skipping meals
- Medications like sleeping pills, contraceptive pills etc.
Types of migraine
Primarily, there are two types of migraine headache. The first one is ‘migraine with aura’ where a person experiences too much of visual disturbance at the onset of the migraine. Here a person may even see objects that are not even present in real, for example, a transparent string of objects. They may also feel that the objects are appearing, then disappearing and then coming back again. Basically, the sensation is kind of similar to the feeling one has when exposed to bright camera flash.
The other type of migraine and the more common one is the ‘migraine without aura’. Here, the individual will not feel any sensory disturbance leading to the migraine attack.
Although the above-mentioned types are the primary types, there are some other types of migraines as well. They are as follows:
- Menstrual migraine- Here the attack occurs in a pattern that is connected to the monthly menstrual cycle.
- Chronic migraine- This refers to the migraine that triggers the attacks more than 15 days in a month.
- Hemiplegic migraine- Here, an individual experience weakness on one side of the body temporarily.
- Abdominal migraine- Here, there is some irregular functioning in the abdomen and the gut. Mostly it is common with children under 14 years of age.
- Migraine with brainstem aura- This is a very rare kind where an individual may experience severe neurological symptoms like affected speech.
There is no doubt that the problem of migraine needs special attention. And we must start the cure as soon as we start experiencing the symptoms in order to avoid it becoming too severe. Therefore, without wasting much time, let us begin with the discussion on the home remedies for migraine headache and learn how to treat the pain fast and without taking medicines.
11 best home remedies for migraine headaches
The experience of having a migraine is not at all pleasant and so, if we can prevent or reduce the pain quickly using some natural remedies, then I think it is completely worth it. After all, most drugs no matter how well they treat the specific problem have some or the other side effects. So, if we have drug-free remedies to treat migraine headache, I think we must give it a try.
Listed below are the 11 amazing and easy to use natural home remedies for migraine headache that may help you to get rid of migraine headache fast and easily.
Use acupressure
In acupressure, you need to apply pressure in certain specific parts of your body to get rid of a specific health condition. It is believed that it helps to release the tension in the muscles and alleviate the pain that you are in. One such popular pressure point is LI-4 which is situated in the space between your point finger and the base of the left thumb. If you apply firm (not painful) circular pressure on your LI-4 point with the help of your right hand for about 5 minutes, it will help you release your headache.
PC6 is another important pressure point as far as treating your migraine issue is concerned. It is located 3 fingers up from the base of your wrist on the inner side of your hand. In one study it was shown that by applying pressure on the PC6 point, 40 individuals having migraine without aura got great relief from the symptoms of nausea and vomiting that accompanies migraine.
Acupressure is one of the best remedies for migraine headaches but you need to do it properly. You may learn the steps in details from an expert and then apply it whenever you suffer from migraine headache.
Distress yourself
Well, I understand that there is a lot of tension in life that keeps us stressed up all the time. But if you have migraine tendencies or you’re a victim to it, then stress can actually make your condition worse and make you suffer from frequent migraine attacks, some of which may turn too severe as well. So, it is very important for you to try and get rid of your stress as much as you can.
Although reducing stress is not that easy but you can definitely take the help of relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, listening to music etc. to calm yourself down. Also, there are some effective ways to uplift your mood. You may refer to those as well and see whether they work for you.
At the end of the day, if you are able to deal with the stress, it will greatly benefit you as far as the problem of migraine headache is concerned.
Lavender essential oil
The importance of essential oils is increasing in our lives day by day and now it is proven that the essential oils, mainly the lavender essential oil, can be a remedy for the migraine headaches as well. In a 2012 study, it was seen that individuals who inhaled lavender essential oil for 15 minutes during a migraine attack got faster results when compared to individuals who inhaled a placebo.
Moreover, lavender essential oil is a great remedy for stress, depression and anxiety which are known to trigger migraine attacks. So if you can reduce the level of stress and anxiety, it will automatically reduce the frequency of migraine attacks.
Ginger remedy
Ginger has got a lot of health benefits and treating migraine headaches definitely is one of them. Ginger has the potential to ease nausea and it is hence very beneficial during migraine attacks. In one of the studies, it was seen that ginger powder could actually decrease the severity and the duration of the migraine just like the prescribed drug sumatriptan could. But in case of ginger, the side effects are limited. Therefore, you can assume it as a better remedy when compared to using sumatriptan.
Moreover, ginger is a very commonly available ingredient in our household, so you can actually use it any time you have a migraine attack.
Practice yoga
If you are a frequent victim to migraine attacks, then it is advisable that you make yoga your favorite activity. This is because practicing yoga is one of the best remedies to get rid of migraine headache.
Yoga uses breathing and body postures to keep you fit and healthy. It improves the flow of the blood in your system as well as reduce the tension in the muscles which can help you get relieve from the migraine symptoms. Research has been done on this topic and it was found that yoga can actually reduce the duration, intensity and the frequency of the migraine attacks to a great extent and hence it can be a trusted remedy for people suffering from migraines.
In addition to it, yoga can also reduce your anxiety, release the tension from the migraine trigger areas and improve your vascular health.
Biofeedback therapy
Biofeedback is one relaxation method you may consider to treat migraine headache. Here, you learn to control your automatic reactions to stress. In other words, individuals use the biofeedback therapy to trigger the release and relaxation of the tight muscles. Basically, the sensors that are placed on your muscle feed into a small machine that gives you real-time feedback regarding the tension in your muscles that in turn, allows you to treat the tight areas in a much better way.
Now, when the sensors will be placed along the jawline, forehead or trapezius muscles in your shoulders, it will definitely help you target the muscles that may be triggering your migraine pain. In short, biofeedback therapy can be beneficial for the migraines that are triggered due to physical reactions to stress like muscle tensing.
However, biofeedback therapy is a little expensive, so if you are Ok with spending money on it, then you can definitely go for this remedy.
Weekly massage
If studies are to be believed, then massaging can actually be one of the best home remedies for migraine headaches. This is because massage will help in the reduction of the frequency of migraine attacks. It will also help in improving the quality of your sleep which is otherwise an important factor behind migraine occurrences.
In addition to the above, massage can also help cope up with stress and anxiety better by reducing your heart rate and lowering the levels of cortisol. This also benefits a lot in reducing your migraine headaches.
Drink enough water
Dehydration is one prominent cause behind headaches and so you need to drink enough of water to keep your system properly hydrated. If you are severely dehydrated, then you may initially take the help of oral rehydration to replace the missing electrolytes.
However, if you find the taste of water boring, then you may also try out the healthy and tasty detox water recipes to stay hydrated. Also, eat the water containing fruits and vegetables like tomato, watermelon etc. in more amounts to get the maximum benefits in treating migraine headache.
Try acupuncture
You can take the help of acupuncture to treat your problem of migraine. In one 2012 study, it was seen that acupuncture can actually be beneficial in treating migraine headaches, although there may be some other factors playing their part as well. But, the importance of acupuncture can never be ignored, so you can definitely give it a try.
Take sufficient rest
If you are extremely tired or stressed up, you may experience severe headaches in the form of migraines, so it is important that you take enough rest. And, for that, you need to get sufficient good sleep. An average adult must have minimum 7-8 hours of proper sleep to stay charged up during the day. So, it is best for you if you can maintain a proper sleep routine to prevent for that will help you avoid frequent migraine headaches.
Many of you may have sleep related issues and that nay be the primary causes behind frequent migraine attacks. So if your problem is clinical, then I would suggest you to take help from your doctor. But, if your lack of proper sleep is due to being too stressed up (in general) or due to some generic reasons then you may like to try some of these tricks to fall asleep faster. I mean these remedies do work but still if it not working for you, then proper medicinal therapy is a good option.
Maintain good diet
See, there can be no better remedy than eating right in order to treat your health issues. So, maintaining a good diet is undoubtedly one of the best home remedies for migraine headaches.
Now, not all food items give you benefits against migraine and so besides maintaining a balanced healthy diet, you must put emphasis on intake of some specific nutrients to get maximum benefits. Like for example,
Eat high magnesium foods
Deficiency of magnesium in body has often been cited as one of the reasons behind occurrence of migraine aura or menstrual-migraine headaches. Migraine aura is something where you will experience a visual disturbance at the onset of the migraine. Not everyone who has migraine issue suffer from it, but if you have this problem, then eating magnesium rich foods is a must for you.
Research has already shown that magnesium supplements can reduce the frequency of migraine occurrence in few individuals, so it is better that you give it a shot. But, just for your safety, do take doctor’s permission first before taking the magnesium supplements because you may have other health conditions which might not be favorable for taking magnesium supplements.
B complex vitamins– The B Vitamins play a significant role in the regulation of neurotransmitters in your brain and so it may be helpful in reducing the frequency and the severity of the migraine headaches.
B Vitamins are water soluble which means that the excess levels of it are excreted in the form of urine and are not stored in the body. So, it is unlikely that an individual could take too much. But, still it is advisable that you consult a doctor before taking B complex Vitamin daily.
Now, just as eating magnesium and B complex Vitamins may benefit you, there are some other food items that you must avoid in order to prevent migraine occurrences. Some of the foods that often trigger migraines are:
- Red wine
- Processed foods
- Alcohol
- Chocolate
- Caffeinated beverages
Therefore, make the necessary changes in your diet and try to follow a proper healthy routine. After all, healthy foods will not just help in reducing migraine but will keep you fit and healthy in general, so it is best that all of you take a proper note on what you are eating and avoid the unhealthy food intake at any cost.
Over to you: how do you get rid of migraine headache?
Headaches are never pleasant and if it’s a migraine, then it is too painful. Migraines have become quite common and so we always need to be aware with the remedies in case you or anyone around you suffers a sudden migraine attack. Now, there are medicines for this problem but in emergency situation, you may not always have medicines readily available. And in such cases, you may like to use home remedies that can help you to avoid and get rid of migraine headache easily.
There are many home remedies which are greatly effective against migraine headache. Most of these remedies are scientifically proven to have caused great relief to the migraine patients. So I am sure if used properly, these will be of huge benefit to you and your close ones. I have already suggested 11 best home remedies for migraine headaches and most of them are quite easy and so you do not have to take too much of efforts to get relief from the headache pain.
However, in one or two remedies, I have suggested you to consult a doctor first and then carry on with the remedy. This is just for your safety but that does not mean that the remedies are not effective. It is just that your safety is of primary importance, and our body may respond to same kind of remedies differently, depending on the body type.
The problem of migraine must be dealt with as fast as possible. After all, those who have experienced the pain know how difficult it is to bear the headache and the other symptoms that accompany it.
When used properly, these remedies for migraine headaches will help you get rid of it swiftly. You do not have to experiment with all of these remedies. I have just given you choices. You choose the remedy as per your preference and see which one suits you better.
And if you have used any of these remedies in the past or know any other remedy that may have worked for you, then please do share with us.
I will come up with another post soon.
Until then, stay happy and live without migraine headache.
