With 10% of the world population suffering from migraines, it’s a health concern we should take seriously. Migraines are more than just your typical headaches; they can include neurological symptoms like light sensitivity and nausea and gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea or constipation. 

While many factors can contribute to migraines, such as stress and diet, medical researchers have also come to believe that sleep plays an important role in your overall health, including immune system functioning and how you feel throughout the day.

With that, we will help you achieve the kind of restorative sleep important for those people with migraine so you can cope better with your condition.

How Sleep Affects Your Health (and Your Migraine)

Sleep is important for our immune system. Our bodies are constantly repairing and rebuilding themselves while we sleep, and without enough sleep, our body’s natural defense mechanisms become weaker. This can leave us vulnerable to infections and illnesses. It also helps with our mental health as a lack of good-quality sleep can affect our mood, concentration levels, and memory—which means it’s harder to work effectively at school or work the next day.

Another thing it can affect is how we look and how we think. The skin needs restorative time to repair itself from the damage caused by sunlight or stress during the day; this helps keep your skin looking healthy and glowing with radiance instead of dulling down due to a lack of oxygenation in tissues beneath layers of dead skin cells!

So you see, being well-rested has a huge connection with your overall health and function on a day-to-day basis. It aids the prevention of certain health conditions that may dampen your life, such as migraine. Therefore, it's essential to do everything possible to ensure that you get quality sleep every night.

Why Migraineurs Struggle to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

For many migraine sufferers, getting quality restorative sleep is a real challenge. The need for sleep is unavoidable, but the pain makes it more difficult to find the peace and calm necessary to reach the level of sleep for it to be restorative.

Migraine attacks are debilitating and painful, but the lack of restorative sleep that often results from them can be equally damaging to your health. In fact, migraineurs are more likely to report sleep disturbance than non-migraineurs.

In the days before a migraine attack, there is a drop in deep slow-wave sleep – this is considered the most restorative kind of sleep. During this phase, your body repairs itself and replenishes its energy stores. Your immune system also works better during this phase of sleep, so without it, you are more likely to wake up tired, cranky, and out of sorts, on top of your already existing migraine pain and discomfort.

In fact, after an attack, many migraine sufferers report feeling tired. This condition is known as postdrome, and although it’s not well understood, it appears to be a natural part of the migraine process that may last for two to three days after a head pain episode.

Simple Ways to Guarantee Quality Sleep

The best way to manage migraines? Get plenty of quality restorative sleep! The recommendation is at least seven or eight hours per night of uninterrupted sleep, which is often hard for migraineurs to achieve. If you're one of them and you constantly find yourself chronically exhausted during your migraine episodes (or even after), it's important to adjust your sleeping habits so that you get enough high-quality nighttime rest.

#1. Have a steady sleep schedule.

For migraineurs, establishing a regular sleep schedule is very important. Going to bed at the same time every night will help you get into a routine that promotes optimal sleep quality.

#2. Be physically active.

You should also get enough physical activity during the day, but not too close to bedtime. You may find it helpful to go for a walk or nap around 3 pm, just before your body starts preparing for rest and rejuvenation.

#3. Lessen your caffeine.

If caffeine helps you feel more awake during the day, consider switching from caffeinated drinks such as coffee or soda pop to decaffeinated versions of these beverages or herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint, or lavender, which have been shown in some studies to be effective in improving sleep quality without disrupting circadian rhythms (the natural rhythm of 24-hour cycles).

#4. Avoid alcohol and nicotine.

Alcohol and nicotine are stimulants that can worsen insomnia symptoms by increasing anxiety levels and causing rebound insomnia after consuming them. Avoiding those substances before heading into dreamland will help ensure better quality slumber!

#5. Turn off any source of bright lights in your room a few minutes before sleep.

This includes bright lamps or any gadget you may have. Using bright lights and electronic devices within an hour of bed could cause your body clock's internal clock mechanism known as melatonin production (responsible for regulating sleep patterns) to become confused, leading to poor sleeping habits over time. Less deep REM stages occurring during sleep cycles can ultimately affect memory retention & processing speediness throughout waking hours later on down the road.

#6. Try Upper Cervical Chiropractic.

While lifestyle changes are the first step to improving your sleep quality and preventing migraines, they’re not the only thing you can do. If you suffer from migraines and poor sleep, it’s time to consider a tried and tested holistic approach like Upper Cervical Chiropractic for lasting results.

This approach can help with migraines and improve sleep by improving the nervous system. It is a safe, natural way to get relief from migraines and improve sleep without any side effects or medications whatsoever! Chiropractors using Upper Cervical Care are here to guide you through this new journey towards better health!

If you're interested in finding a chiropractor near you, check out Upper Cervical Awareness' directory of chiropractors. We work with the most experienced Upper Cervical doctors in the country to provide you with top-notch care.

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