Migraine self-care

Managing stress

Consider a ‘lifestyle MOT¹

If there are times when you feel stressed or anxious, taking some time to think about the things that add to your feelings of stress is a first step towards making them more manageable. Even if your routines feel impossible to change, chatting them through with a friend or relative could help you discover practical and helpful adjustments you can make that you hadn’t thought of before.

Get creative
Art or other creative activities can help you make peace with your emotions and can reduce stress. Try indulging your creative side with painting, colouring or writing. It may be helpful to choose pens and paints without strong smells if these affect you.^2,3

Making changes to your lifestyle and routine can also help limit the impact of migraine on your life.^4-6

Good nutrition and diet

Some foods may impact your headache or migraine. Talk to your healthcare professional if you have any concerns.⁴

• Cook something tasty: Cooking and baking may give you something to focus on and can help you relax. Plus, they may give you more control over your diet and can help you avoid foods that may trigger migraine.
• Caffeine: Make changes gradually. Having too much caffeine can lead to a migraine attack for some people. However, cutting out caffeine suddenly can also trigger migraine attacks, so try to reduce gradually. Remember, caffeine is in tea, coffee and cola, as well as chocolate and some over-the-counter painkillers.⁴

Hormones and migraine

There is a known link to hormonal changes and migraine throughout a woman’s life. This could be at puberty when menstruation starts, during pregnancy, and/or at perimenopause/menopause.⁴

Take time for yourself: Set aside ‘me time’ by creating an at-home spa with a hot bath, enjoying a warm drink, or watching a movie.

Sleep

Maintaining a regular sleep pattern could avoid a migraine, as too much sleep or not enough sleep could impact your migraine.⁵

Exercise

Spending time outdoors can help lower stress and can help you sleep better and keep to a healthy, regular sleep routine. Daily walks, gardening or cycling are all good ways to relax.⁶

Light exercise can benefit your physical and mental health, whatever the prevailing conditions are like. If the weather prevents you from getting outside, you could try stretching or dancing. It may help to plan exercise in advance, making sure you are well hydrated and nourished beforehand, and keeping things steady and manageable.

Making self-care part of your everyday life can help reduce how often you get a migraine and the impact of them. Try yoga, meditating, and doing other things you enjoy.

Environment

Bright lights, loud noises or strong smells can contribute to your migraines.⁴ Consider talk with your employer If your work environment is contributing to your migraines, consider discussing this with your employer – they may be able to help.