How Changes in Your Lifestyle Help Prevent Migraines

chiropractor for migraines

Patients who visit a chiropractor for migraines know how this condition can ruin their day instantly. Imagine you have your day planned, and then as you prepare, something hits you, and before you can respond, it becomes a full-blown migraine attack. How unfortunate, especially if you planned something big that you've been looking forward to for weeks or even months. 

Migraine does not choose when it can happen, and once it does, you wouldn't know if it'll be for hours this time or even days. It can attack even on your wedding day or any special occasion. You may even be so disappointed and think, what a disaster! However, despite not having a cure, there are active ways to help you prevent migraines and possibly keep your symptoms at bay.

You can start by evaluating your lifestyle and how it affects your migraine episodes. From there, you can work towards finding effective relief. You may also ask a chiropractor for migraines how to further prevent migraine episodes from happening.

Lifestyle changes to help prevent migraines 

Sometimes, the key to managing your condition lies in how you live. Taking care of yourself can help you prevent unwanted health conditions, including migraine. Self-care is always a good idea as it benefits you as a whole, both mind and body. In addition, some practical and straightforward lifestyle changes can also help you reduce migraine occurrence. Below are some ways that can help minimize your migraine attacks:

Give up bad habits

This will include excessive alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Avoiding these two bad habits can significantly play a role in maintaining your healthy lifestyle. Although, in general, alcohol and cigarettes are bad for your health, excessive consumption of these can lead to different health conditions, some are mild, but some may be severe. Apart from their possible health repercussions, they are also common migraine triggers.

Maintain a healthy body weight

Keeping a healthy body weight may be challenging, especially when you get older and your metabolism slows down. But if you can maintain a healthy weight, the rewards are great. On the other hand, being on the heavy side can trigger chronic pain conditions. Experts see a link between the frequency of your migraine attacks and your BMI (body mass index).Watching your diet and engaging in a regular exercise routine can help you maintain an ideal weight based on your build. A study found that total body obesity (TBO) and abdominal obesity (AO) were linked to a higher prevalence of migraine attacks and frequency.

Keep a migraine journal

This can be a small notebook or a notes section in your phone are tablets where you log your migraine episodes, as well as the activities and food you had before your attack. Your journal can help you identify your triggers and what you can avoid next time to reduce your chances of migraine attacks. Your migraine journal can also help you better deal with your migraines by being more aware and involved in what causes them, how you were able to prevent them before, and what you can do should the next episode occur.

Set healthy eating habits

It is imperative to set your meal schedules and stick to them. Sometimes, people experience migraine attacks because they missed a meal. Therefore, to avoid this, you must be proactive in making sure you eat on time and eat something healthy.Refer to your migraine journal to know what food you should also avoid. There are specific food and food groups that contribute to your migraine episodes. These are:

  • Caffeine
  • Red wine
  • Aged cheeses
  • Chocolates
  • Citrus fruits
  • Artificial sweeteners like aspartame
  • Yeast
  • Monosodium glutamate or MSG
  • Cured and processed meats
  • Nuts and seeds that contain tyramine

Keep your sleep schedule consistent and get enough rest

Like keeping a healthy eating habit, setting a healthy sleeping habit can significantly help manage your migraine episodes. Having poor quality and inconsistent sleep schedules can trigger migraine episodes. If possible, sleep at the same time each night and wake up at the same time, even on weekends. This will give you enough time for your body to rest and recover from your daily activities and adjust well to its circadian rhythm. Changes in your sleep patterns disrupt your circadian rhythm and make you much more susceptible to migraines and other health issues. Making sure you don't overexert yourself in your daily activities can lessen your daily stressors, leading to migraine episodes. If you have been having sleeping problems, talk to your doctor to help address your issue before things get worse.chiropractor for migraines

Upper cervical care: A Promising Migraine Relief Source

Besides lifestyle changes that benefit you big time, you can also explore upper cervical care to help prevent or keep your migraine episodes at bay. Getting your spine health checked can also offer longer-lasting migraine relief. Not many are aware, but a misalignment in your upper cervical spine can trigger regular migraine episodes unless you correct the misalignment. Unfortunately, you can't confirm a misalignment yourself, and you will need a help of an upper cervical chiropractor for migraines. They can also recommend a series of personalized adjustments that best fits your needs to help reduce your migraine symptoms and eventually eliminate them.

Where to Find a Chiropractor for Migraines

Upper cervical chiropractors can help confirm if a misalignment in your upper spine is the culprit for your debilitating migraine episodes. They can also give you the following benefits:

#1. Gentle Relief

Upper cervical chiropractors will use gentle, low-force adjustments to relieve you from the stress and pressure that leads to your migraine episodes. Depending on their technique, some will make adjustments using their hands or with the help of an instrument. The process is generally safe for children, the elderly, and pregnant women.

#2. Focused Care 

An upper cervical chiropractor near you will focus only on the top two bones of your spine, the atlas and axis vertebrae which can significantly influence the overall alignment of the spine. Once these two are in their proper and natural alignment, the rest of your bones will follow, and your body can activate its natural healing capability.

#3. As-Needed Adjustments

Your chiropractic adjustments are personalized based on what you need. Therefore, every adjustment and correction your chiropractic doctor performs is unique to your condition. That is why they need to study your condition well and learn as much about your medical history as possible to let them plan the right approach.

You can consult an upper cervical chiropractor near you to know more about how they can help with your migraine attacks. Life is meant to be lived pain-free. So get your spine health checked today!

Find An Upper Cervical Doctor in Your Areato schedule a consultation today.

Search

Featured Articles

Videos

Montel Williams
Montel Williams

TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.

NBC's The Doctors

The TV show "The Doctors" showcased Upper Cervical Care.

CBS News/Migraine Relief

CBS News highlighted the alleviation of Migraines and Headaches.

The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.

©2015–2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.