5 tips to reduce migraines
By Jessah Shaw, Adv Dip (Nut Med)
If you have ever suffered from a migraine, you would know that they are more than just a typical headache. They can cause severe pain, nausea, light sensitivity and even vision disturbances. Migraines affect over 1.1 million people globally, they also appear twice as often in women as men. As you can imagine, this can have a severe impact on overall quality of life. Read on for some tips on easing migraine symptoms:
1) Establish a consistent sleep schedule
Poor sleep is a trigger for both inflammation and migraines, therefore it is important to try and find a healthy circadian rhythm. To establish an effective sleep schedule, you want to make sure you are falling asleep by 10 and getting up around 6. Or you could alter the times but still aim to get approx. 8 hours of sleep a night. Your circadian rhythm refers to your sleep-wake cycle and this is controlled by your brain, which is based on light and dark exposure. When you wake up in the morning, get in the habit of exposing yourself to natural light as soon as possible as well as regularly throughout the day. As the sun sinks lower in the sky, start to limit exposure to bright lights. Or if you do watch TV, use a laptop or read a kindle, consider investing in some blue-light blocking glasses, so production of melatonin is not reduced.
2) Alleviate stress
While certain degrees of stress are unavoidable, prolonged, excess stress can take a major toll on both your mind and body. Research has linked stress to migraines; therefore, it is imperative to find healthy coping mechanisms for stress, so it doesn’t become chronic and increase inflammation throughout the body. Effective ways of coping with stress include exercise, listening to music, yoga, tai chi, connecting with nature, confiding in friends/family and practicing mindfulness. Our Magnesium Ultra Potent Powder relieves symptoms of stress, reduces headache symptoms and is very well absorbed.
3) Avoid inflammatory foods
Inflammation is your body’s response to injury, infection, allergies, stress or chronic disease. A certain level of inflammation is necessary and helpful, but problems arise when the inflammation becomes excessive or chronic. In most cases, the inflammation is coming from the gut. Food sensitivities, leaky gut and overgrowth of the wrong gut microbes trigger an inflammatory reaction in the intestines. Foods that can often be linked to inflammation include sugar, dairy, trans fats, artificial food additives, and processed meat. The Dr Cabot Cleanse is a 15-day program that will help you regain control of your health. The program was designed by Dr Cabot to restore gut and liver health, reduce inflammation and acidity in the body, protect cell health and strengthen the immune system.
4) Get your weight in a healthy range
Carrying excess weight is an indicator of low-grade inflammation throughout the body. Having too much inflammation in your body can cause pain, fatigue, and low mood, but can also stop you losing weight. When your body is inflamed, hormones don’t function as efficiently, and you are more susceptible to insulin resistance. Lowering inflammation should be your first priority for becoming lean and healthy. You may find this article helpful. Research suggests that managing inflammation throughout weight loss, glucose control and lowering blood pressure may help to reduce the occurrence and severity of migraines.
5) Load up on antioxidants
It has been suggested that poorly functioning mitochondria can contribute to migraines in some people. Impaired mitochondria can release significant amounts of free radicals which can damage cells over time. Oxidation can occur from free radicals which can damage cell membranes, DNA, protein and lipids and contribute to disease formation. Free radicals can be produced from exposure to air pollutants and pesticides, the consumption of fried foods and alcohol, cigarette smoke, and x-rays. Antioxidants are known as ‘free radical scavengers’ due to their ability to stabilise free radicals and make them non-toxic to cells. Foods high in antioxidants include spinach, blueberries, citrus fruits and capsicum. For more info, see this article.
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