3 great tips to help with your headaches and migraines

Suffering headaches? Check out Dr Liam’s top 3 tips to help! 

Are you one of the millions who suffer from headaches and migraines? 
Is going about your daily business a constant struggle? 
Do you feel like your missing out on the things you love because you always have head pain?
 Is so, then these 3 awesome tips might just be the thing for you!

 1. Daily exercise
Daily exercise is a great way to help reduce your chance of getting headaches and migraines. Yoga is a great example of a low level exercise you can use to unwind after a hard days work. Stress and muscle tension are major contributors of headache and migraine and Yoga is just the thing to help with this.

 If going to a Yoga class doesn’t seem like your thing, then try downloading an app which you can guide you through the process in the comfort of your own home.

 If Yoga isn’t for you, try 20-30 mins of light cardio.
 This could be a walk/slow jog around the block or on the elliptical at your local gym. Pilates and Barre classes are also great ways to get your body moving in ways it loves. 
 
2. Understanding and avoiding your triggers with the help of a headache diary
Patients will often report different environmental factors such as diet or weather changes can aggravate or provoke their headache and migraine. 

Common chemical triggers in our diet include amines and nitrites/nitrates (found in aged meats, cheeses, red wine, alcoholic beverages), monosodium glutamate (MSG found in Chinese food), caffeine, aspartame (found in artificially sweetened drinks and foods), nuts and some citrus fruits.

Other types of triggers include perfumes, seasonal changes, lack of sleep and fatigue, stressful lifestyle, anxiousness, hormones (especially around ovulation and menstruation), flashing or bright lights, motion and loud noises.

These are just some of the triggers migraineurs encounter, so It is important for a migraineur to identify their triggers and make lifestyle changes to limit their exposure. 

Keeping a simple headache diary will help you understand what’s triggering your migraines and help you manage it more easily. 
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 3. Review your lifestyle
It is very possible that the things you are doing in everyday life are affecting your headache and migraine. 

Stress factors, posture and diet are 3 things you can review easily to help reduce your risk.

Stress is a big contributor to headache and migraine so trying to limit stressful situations in everyday life and work can really help. If you live a busy lifestyle and stress is just something that comes part and parcel with this, try some stress relieving strategies like meditation, yoga or daily exercise. 

Review your diet and water intake, limiting foods that are known triggers of migraine and headache and determining which ones don’t sit well with you.

Practice good posture techniques at work and at home. If you’re a desk worker ask your boss for an ergonomic assessment or get your colleague to have a look for you.

These 3 tips can help you lessen the impact that headaches and migraines have on you. There is no better time than now to start implementing these tips into everyday life. 

And if you want further help with eliminating your headaches and migraines, drop a comment below and we can send you more information.  

Dr. Liam Frazer, Osteopath at Melbourne Headache Solutions.