Five Ways to Beat Headaches and Migraine Naturally

By Joanna Karpasea-Jones HERWriter October 21, 2011


1. Check your sleeping patterns. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, this can trigger a migraine. According to Dr. Michael Breus (‘The Sleep Doctor’™), if you are sleep deprived, your body produces more of a protein called P2X3. This protein initiates chronic pain. This can also happen if you change your sleep routine.

If your body is used to waking at 7 a.m. for work and you decide to lie in at the weekend, this change in routine can also trigger pain. If you find that you are getting headaches when you sleep in late, try going to bed earlier at night and getting up at the same time you would normally rise for work. This regulation of your sleep pattern may be enough to stop the headaches. (1)

2. Make sure you are drinking enough water, as dehydration can cause headaches. The European Journal of Neurology looked at water intake in patients with migraine and tension headache and found that if the patients drank an extra 1.5 liters of water per day it reduced the amount of headaches they suffered from and their intensity. (2)

3. Don’t have products that contain aspartame. Aspartame is a sweetener that is known to trigger migraine in some people. It is present in diet soda, sugar substitute products, some desserts such as chocolate mousse or yoghurt, some brands of vitamin pills (particularly ‘budget’ brands) and even in some medications.

Make a habit of checking all food and drink labels prior to purchasing and do the same with any medicines. Cut out diet soda altogether and opt for the non-diet variety or choose organic soda as this will not contain aspartame. (3)

4. Don’t skip meals! Lots of people skip breakfast or are too busy at work to find time to have lunch. This can mean that you don’t have enough blood sugar and can trigger a migraine. (4)

5. Try taking feverfew tablets.


http://www.empowher.com/migraine/content/five-ways-beat-headaches-and-migraine-naturally