Migraines range from mild to acute ones but all of them are painful, disorienting and can interfere with the quality of life you lead. Usually, migraines are treated by medication but since they are recurring, the best way is to combine medication and healthy lifestyle practices. The lifestyle practices help reduce severity of the migraines when they occur and when practiced regularly they prevent the migraines from occurring. Two habits are crucial to managing migraines effectively; eating well and sleeping well.

When it comes to eating well you only have to consider the basics. First you should have a consistent eating routine as far as the times are concerned. Have all meals at about the same time every day and do not skip meals. Breakfast is even more crucial as it gives the brain and other organs nutrition to work with for the rest of the day. Eating a nutritious diet is very essential especially one full of fruits and vegetables as well as proteins.

Sleeping well also plays an important role when planning the management of migraines. While migraines can indeed interfere with your sleep when they happen, having unhealthy sleeping habits can easily trigger their occurrence. Such habits include lacking enough sleep, having noise interference while sleeping and lack of a regular sleeping pattern. To counter these negative effects, you will have to set up a sleeping schedule and stick to the waking times and sleeping times every day even weekends. You can promote the quality of your sleep by learning to unwind at a day’s end. You can do this by listening to soothing music, reading a book, mediation or yoga exercises or soak yourself in a warm bath. While in bed minimize any kind of distractions like noise, phones, T.V and others. You can mask out external noise using a fan. Avoid any intensive exercises, caffeinated drinks and medications and alcohol in the time preceding your bedtime.

In case you experience a migraine attack, the actions you take at the moment will determine the severity and length of the bout. The following are tips on the steps one should take;

1) First you will have to move to a calm place and stop your normal activity to relax. Ensure the place is quite dark since migraines are sensitive to light and if possible sleep.

2) Try either of the temperature therapies option. You can try cold compresses on your head or neck as the ice packs have a numbing effect which may dull the pain or heating pads or warm showers to relax the muscles. Use what works well for you and the situation.

3) You can also massage the painful areas to reduce muscle tension and then try a caffeinated drink in small quantities for relief. Large amounts will result to withdrawal headaches.