Migraine Headache Prevention Techniques

There are a variety of ways of preventing migraine headaches. Identifying your own migraine triggers and recognizing your migraine prodromes takes time and careful observation. However, if you can pinpoint any of your own migraine triggers, you can proactively prevent yourself from having some or most of your migraine headaches.

Migraine headaches can be debilitating. Over the past 10-15 years, more effective treatments have been developed to help alleviate migraines. Preventative prescription therapies are helpful in reducing the frequency of migraine headaches and the severity of each episode for the majority of migraine sufferers. Yet, there are a number of lifestyle factors that can trigger migraine headaches. And there are a variety of ways to prevent migraine headaches without medication. Taking action to reduce migraine headaches through deliberate lifestyle practices can be of substantial benefit for most migraine sufferers and can be at least moderately beneficial for almost all people who are prone to migraine headaches. 

Get enough rest 

Migraine headaches are unique and distinct from chronic daily headaches or muscle tension headaches. Fatigue and lack of rest can trigger a full-blown migraine headache for those who are susceptible to migraines. Lack of sleep, in particular, is one of the most common migraine triggers. Waking up at the wrong time, which means waking up in the midst of a sleep cycle, can be a stronger migraine trigger than simply not getting enough sleep. 

Uncomfortable sleep can prevent deep sleep and may trigger a migraine headache. For example, sleeping at a temperature that is too hot or too cold or sleeping with an unpleasant noise or on an uncomfortable bed may interfere enough with restful sleep to cause a migraine headache. 

Manage stress and anxiety 

Stress is a daily part of life. Yet, some people are under significantly more stress than others. However, while stressful events are often largely out of our control, anxiety about stress varies from person to person. In general, the more stress a migraine inclined individual is under, the more likely he or she is to experience migraine headaches. Nevertheless, managing anxiety and keeping stress in perspective is one of the effective ways of preventing migraine headaches. 

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