My Cool Migraine Regimen

It can be really hard limiting migraine’s hold on us. In a time of isolation and constant screen watching, it’s more important than ever to listen to what our bodies need. I’m not a perfect migraineur, far from it, but I’ve found many different avenues helpful in dealing with my head pain. From lifestyle choices to prevention, we’re never at rest when it comes to migraine mitigation.

Sugar

I am a huge sugarholic. It comes as no surprise to me that it’s one of my most prominent triggers. This feeling I get from eating sugar and having that craving when it’s absent is borderline addiction! However, I know the migraines that spike, as a result, aren’t worth eating a gallon tub of iced cream. I eat enough sugary treats to satisfy my dark passenger while trying not to cross that line. I mess up, but the more often you listen to what your body needs, the better chances you have at hitting that…

SWEET SPOT

Don’t you LOVE falling into a pun?! Oh it’s one of my top favorite things to fall into. Others being love, ball pits, and pudding.

Screens

Screen-time is a big migraine trigger and I find myself constantly wrestling with it. In a world, especially under quarantine, getting our daily dose of screens is a way to both stay sane, but also stay connected with the world! Personally, I always keep my computer or phone on auto-brightness. They sense ambient light in the room and automatically change the screen's brightness as a result. I also keep my phone on ‘dark’ mode at night. Bright white screens turn to cool black ones, keeping my eyes strain-free! My mom and sister often read on their computers with full brightness in a pitch-black room. Besides looking like the girl from the ring, it must be doing damage! I keep finding myself chastising them. Perhaps I’m just jealous for their migraine-less heads.

Sleep

This is probably my most important issue. At a time where days and nights are determined by when you are and aren’t watching Netflix, it can be really easy to “get your days and nights confused.” My grandma is incredibly guilty of this. She stays up until all hours of the night watching Perry Mason reruns and ends up sleeping all day. I mean hey, I’m just glad she’s at home, safe and living her best most comfortable life. I, on the other hand, have an alarm set every day. Sticking to that schedule is paramount for my health. If I don’t, I’ll find a migraine knocking at my door as I try and scramble some sleep in at 3 AM. I’ve also actually found naps to be a huge migraine culprit. Almost every time I nap, the longer the worse, I awaken with a pulsating migraine that likes to rip my entire brain apart piece by piece. I miss the days where I could enjoy life’s simple treasures.

A tricky routine to follow

Migraines have a habit of making life’s gifts a little more prickly. Just means I have to be more careful as to not let my life slip into painful head-pain chaos. I know not everyone has the luxury of being able to manage their migraine regimen, but I know we ALL diligently try.