Chronic headaches and migraines are among the most prevalent diseases in the world, accosting millions of people on a daily basis. Some figures say that migraines are the third most common disease in the world and that nearly twelve percent of the U.S. population suffers from migraines. After suffering from chronic headaches and migraines for nearly ten years, I decided to begin my journey toward reducing my headaches.
Growing up with headaches, I learned what triggered my migraines. Things like lack of sleep, irregular eating schedules, and excessive exposure to bright lights would bring on my debilitating headaches. Eventually, I learned the role that stress also played in my headaches.
At seventeen, I decided to go to a neurologist. In the past, my doctors had always told me to just take ibuprofen and drink plenty of water while getting eight hours of sleep a night. I followed their advice but my migraines were progressively getting worse. By the time I got an appointment with a neurologist, I was getting more than one debilitating migraine per week which meant I basically slept all the time. However, this appointment would drastically change my well-being.
I described my symptoms and what I did to prevent them to my neurologist. After taking some tests, he presented me with a few options. I could either being preventative medications or I could try a more natural route. I figured that I would give the natural route a try and was surprised at the success I had with it.
Here’s what I did:
Stopped Drinking Caffeine
Yes, gasp, I no longer drink coffee and I (usually) don’t eat chocolate. This was a hard habit to kick but out of all the things I tried, I think this was the most pivotal in my recovery. You see, when your body becomes dependent on caffeine, it learns to request more and most often that request is filed in the form of a headache.
Stopped taking Ibuprofen
According to my doctor the combination of ibuprofen and caffeine was creating a cycle of reliance within my body so when I didn’t get these two things, I would get a migraine instead (thanks body, so nice of you).
Started taking supplements
This one is simple, taking supplements like Riboflavin (B2) and Magnesium aids your body in releasing muscle tension and can reduce headaches. Sure enough, this worked for me.
Exercised regularly
We all know we should do it, but we don’t actually realize how important it is to keeping our body balanced until we get a headache every day without it (yes, I am @-ing myself).
Created a routine and stuck to it
Eating and sleeping at the same time everyday helped my body have some semblance of normality and played a role in minimizing my headaches.
Drank. Water. All of it.
Dehydration is bad, folks. Drinking more than three times the amount I had previously consumed made a huge difference for me.
Using these six tools I was able to reduce my weekly migraines to occasional headaches. I am happy to report that I have had maybe three migraines in the past year. Wow.
However, if you are struggling with migraines, you should consult your healthcare professional. Every body is different and has different needs. It’s all about finding what makes you feel like the best you.