7 Tips to Ease Migraine Pain | Everyday Health

When amigraine attacksets in, all you want is relief. For some people, takingmigraine medicationcan help ease the pain, saysJanine Good, MD, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

But is there anything else you can do to help shorten the attack or make the symptoms more bearable until the medication starts to work?

If you’re in need of migraine first aid, try the following suggestions. Most of these interventions are free and come with no side effects.

1. Rest in a Quiet, Dark Room

Manypeople with migrainereportsensitivity to lightand sound, which can make headaches worse. According to a study published inNature Neuroscience, the pain caused by light can be traced to a group of light-sensing cells in the eye called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which help maintain sleep-wake cycles and pupil response to light. In rats, these cells converge on brain cells that transmit pain.

Exposure to light activates the ipRGC cells and the pain-transmitting cells, and the cells remain activated for several minutes. The researchers theorize that that mechanism could be the reasonheadache paingets worse in the light and improves 20 to 30 minutes after being in the dark.

Go to a room that’s dark and quiet, and you may be able to sleep, Dr. Good says. “Not all headaches respond to sleep,” she notes, but the chemicals released in your brain during sleep may help ease your pain. Also, she says, if you’re sensitive to sounds, blocking them out could help.

2. Apply a Warm or Cold Compress to Your Head or Neck

Place a warm or cold compress across your forehead or the back of your neck.

“Many of my patients prefer a cold compress,” saysLawrence C. Newman, MD, director of the division of headache at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City and a board member of the American Migraine Foundation.

Cold can have a numbing effect. “It distracts the brain from the migraine,” says Good. “You’re stimulating other nerve endings where you’re putting the compress.”

To protect your skin, keep a cloth between your skin and an ice pack, and if you use a commercial cold pack, make sure there are no leaks where chemicals could escape and potentially harm your eyes, according to theUniversity of Michigan Health.

Some people may prefer a warm compress, Dr. Newman says. Heat can help relax tense muscles. You may also try taking a warm bath or shower.

3. Hydrate Aggressively

About one in three people with migraine saysdehydrationis a trigger for their headaches, according to theAmerican Migraine Foundation. Staying hydrated between attacks, therefore, may help to prevent some.

Once you feel a migraine coming on, aggressively hydrating may help shorten the length of your attack, saysRoderick Spears, MD, a neurologist andheadache specialistat Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. “Drinking a lot of water can help,” he says.

Have trouble drinking enough water? Try flavoring plain water with a slice of lemon or lime or adding a small amount of fruit juice. When your water tastes better, you may drink more.

4. Massage Your Temples

Massage can help your muscles relax, and it’s been studied forpain managementfor several conditions, including headache, according to theNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Whether this helps you depends on the person, Newman says. Some people experiencing a migraine may be extremely sensitive to touch, and a massage can make them feel worse. This is especially true for people with allodynia, a fairly commonsymptom of migrainewhere people are very sensitive to touch and other stimuli that isn’t typically painful.

According to theAmerican Migraine Foundation, allodynia can make even normal activities such as brushing hair or resting your head on a pillow very painful.

5. Try Meditating

As many as 8 in 10 people with migraine report stress as a trigger for headaches, saysRebecca Wells, MD, an associate professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Health in North Carolina and director of the comprehensive headache program.

Mindfulness meditationcan help people manage stress differently by focusing on what is happening in the present moment, she says.

“One example that is available to everyone is focusing on a sensation such as the breath,” she says. It’s natural to still have thoughts and feelings while you are practicingmindfulness meditation; notice those and then turn your attention back to your breath, suggests Dr. Wells.

Researchers are trying to determine if practicing this type of mindfulness can change a person’s ability to respond to stress and help in the management of migraine. A 2020 study published inJAMA Internal Medicineconducted by Wells and colleagues found that mindfulness meditation may help treat the overall burden of migraine in some individuals by improving disability, quality of life, anddepression.

6. Smell the Lavender

The scent oflavendermay have a calming effect, which can also help relieve stress. A clinical trial published in theIranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Researchfound that four weeks of aromatherapy withlavenderessential oil improved stress, anxiety, and depression in a group of postpartum women.

Lavender oil has also been studied specifically as amigraine treatment. A small study published in欧洲Neurologyevaluated the use of lavender essential oil in people experiencing a migraine attack. In the placebo-controlled trial, those who inhaled lavender oil for 15 minutes reported greater reduction of headache severity than those who did not.

7. Prevent Attacks With Exercise

Exercising during a migraine attack can make the pain worse, but exercising between attacks may help to reduce the number of attacks you have.

Contrary to popular belief, exercise won’t trigger a migraine in most people, saysDale Bond, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Miriam Hospital and Brown Alpert Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island.

“In terms ofaerobic exercise, we would generally tell our patients to start with walking — it’s easy, it’s safe, it’s cheap, and it’s practical — and to do that regularly,” says Bond.

That may reduce migraine and prevent migraine attacks through physiological mechanisms — for example, by reducing inflammation and improving cardiovascular health, he says.

Regular exercise can also help withreducing stressand improving sleep, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Bottom Line

When used together with medication, these home remedies and lifestyle strategies work for many people, Newman says. If they don’t ease your pain, however, you may consider talking to your doctor about making changes to your migraine treatment plan.

Additional reporting byBecky Upham.