ad // I’ve always suffered with headaches and occasional migraines, even since I was a teenager. I get a lot of sinus related headaches in the Spring and Summer when my hay fever is at it’s worst (one year I was wiped out for an entire week with one!) and I also get a lot of annoying stress headaches too.
Headaches and migraines are sadly very common. There are plenty of things we can do to both prevent them and relieve them when they do occur but sometimes, especially with migraines, they’re unavoidable. So we need different coping mechanisms in our back pockets for those occasions.
Obviously I’m not a medical professional, so if you’re getting headaches which don’t seem normal for you, then please visit your GP and take the necessary steps – don’t rely on information from the internet.
But if you’re looking for some additional ways to manage headaches or migraines, some different migraine relief or some general tips and tricks for coping with them, then this is the post for you!
We’re going to be looking at 8 different tips for headache and migraine relief, including triggers and natural pain relief:
Track your symptoms and triggers
This is a really helpful point for both headaches and migraines as it can help you easily identify anything that’s triggering them or making them worse. It’s even worth creating a spreadsheet or just making a note in your diary of any symptoms you had each day (as well as no symptoms) and what you were doing. You might also want to track:
- Water intake
- General food / meals /sugar
- Medication
- Exercise levels
- What you were doing in the day (e.g how much screen time you had)
Then try and avoid your triggers where possible
Then the next most obvious thing would be to try and avoid the triggers where possible and do more of what helps. Sometimes triggers can’t be avoided but we can potentially limit things like our screen time and our sugar intake to help our migraines and headaches.
Drink plenty of water
I think I add this to every single list I make of anything because it’s so important and can help massively. It’s important for everyone to drink plenty of water, to avoid dehydration which can be a particularly common cause of headaches. This is also something you can add into your tracker.
Consider natural pain relief
If you’re keen to try natural pain relief for migraines then there are a lot of options for you to choose from. Paingone is fast and effective pain relief that’s completely natural and medication free. With more than 10 million people in the UK affected by migraines, it’s no surprise that additional pain relief is needed and in demand.
The Qalm TENS device from Paingone is an effective transcutaneous nerve stimulation device that’s applied directly to the forehead. It can be effective both in tackling migraines when they occur and reducing the frequency of migraine attacks.
Get vitamin tested and take supplements if needed
Sometimes the causes of our headaches and migraines aren’t an external factor and rather we have to look inwards. Some things we simply cannot establish by ourselves for example, vitamin levels. So if you’re struggling with headaches and migraines then a good option would be to head to your GP and get these things tested as you might need some additional help.
Manage your stress
Another thing which tends to feature on most things and rightly so because stress really can cause a lot of damage both to our minds and bodies. Stress isn’t 100% avoidable but we can learn to manage it more effectively with coping techniques.
Keep up with your medication
If you’re taking medication for migraines then ensure that it’s always topped up and that you always have a supply with you in case a migraine crops up at the most inconvenient of times.
Make others aware if/when you get a migraine
And finally, if migraines are a real problem in your life and then often leave you unable to function during the day then it’s often a good idea to let people know who you’re going to be interacting with so they can also be prepared in case you have to call in sick for work or cancel plans at the last minute.
Thanks for the much needed tips Jenny. Appreciated. Having a headache can be so frustrating!
It really can – I had a horrible one last week. Lasted all day!
I was so excited to read this post just based on the title – as a chronic migraine sufferer I always love to hear how others help manage their pain and decrease their triggers. Thanks for sharing – tracking is so important and it’s honestly my #1 way to know how I’m doing and it’s usually the link to increased migraines! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks girl! I hope this gave you some additional tips to help with your migraines!