10 Tips to Help Migraine Pain at Home

From throbbing pain, aura, and nausea, migraines can quickly take you out of commission, and unfortunately, one billion people experience them at some point each year.

Nothing’s quite as miserable as a migraine except for perhaps chronic migraines. While medications are part of managing your headache symptoms, there are also at-home strategies to reduce pain and prevent future migraines. 

Read on as our team of experts shares 10 tips to help migraine pain at home and how the Link Neuroscience Institute team can help when at-home treatments alone aren’t enough.

1. Find a quiet, dark room 

Migraines can make you highly sensitive to light and sound. When migraine pains hit you, find a calm, dark room to rest and minimize sensory triggers. Use blackout curtains or an eye mask, and consider noise-canceling headphones.

2. Adjust the lighting in your home

If certain lights trigger migraines, remove this type of lighting from your home. Lighting that can trigger migraines includes:

• Bright and/or flickering lights
• Fluorescent lights
• Glare from screen 
• Blue light (from TVs, computers, and phones)

In a nutshell, any light source that is excessively intense or has a pulsing quality can potentially trigger a migraine. 

3. Use hot or cold therapy

Many people find that a cold compress helps numb the pain, while others prefer the soothing effect of a warm compress. You might even like both! 

If you’re prone to migraines, make sure you have both options readily available so you can rotate hot and cold therapy when needed. Stick a facial ice pack in your freezer (look for one with a fabric cover) so it’s always ready. 

If you prefer heat, keep a microwaveable heating pad available. When pain strikes, microwave the heating pad (follow the directions on your specific product) and lay it across the back of your neck.

4. Stay hydrated

Dehydration is a common migraine trigger, so be sure to drink at least 11.5 cups of fluid per day (15.5 cups for men).

Some of your fluid intake can come from tea, especially ginger tea. Ginger tea can ease pain and help alleviate nausea. 

If you don’t like ginger tea, there are plenty of other options, including chamomile tea, turmeric tea, peppermint tea, and teas that contain clove.

5. Try lavender 

Lavender can help with migraines, and you have a few options in how you’d like to use it. You can:

• Diffuse pure lavender essential oil (not fragrance oil)
• Drink lavender tea (as a tea bag or with food-grade loose lavender flowers)
• Apply it topically 

If you massage lavender on your neck or forehead, add a few drops into a carrier oil like almond or coconut oil. 

6. Try peppermint 

Just like with lavender, there are many ways that you can use peppermint. You can:

• Drink peppermint tea
• Diffuse peppermint essential oil
• Massage a few drops of diluted peppermint essential oil on your temples, forehead, or the back of your neck

Applying peppermint oil to your forehead and neck at the start of a headache can reduce pain by 56.2%, but this jumps up to 66.7% improvement when paired with acetaminophen. 

7. Adjust your diet

Certain foods can trigger migraines, such as processed meats (with nitrates), aged cheese (with tyramine), or foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG).

 Caffeine can go either way. Caffeine can trigger a migraine in some people, while some people feel better after drinking caffeinated tea or coffee.

If you already have a migraine and feel nauseous, try bland foods like chicken noodle soup, toast, or applesauce. 

8. Take your supplements

Some supplements, such as vitamin B2 (riboflavin), can help prevent future migraines, and if your Link Neuroscience Institute neurologists recommend a daily supplement for you, be sure to not miss it! 

Magnesium deficiency is also linked to migraines, so this is another common supplement among migraine sufferers.

9. Stretch

Tension in your neck and shoulders can aggravate migraine pain. Gentle stretches release tension and improve circulation. Hatha yoga and restorative yoga can also help with migraines.

10. Take your medication as prescribed

Medications used to relieve migraine pain work best when you take them as soon as you notice your first migraine symptom. Common medications include:

• Over-the-counter pain relief medication
• Prescription medications like triptans, dihydroergotamine, and lasmiditan 

If you have questions about your current medications, let us know.

Get help for migraines 

Beyond these 10 strategies you can use at home, our team of specialists offers additional treatments to help you get relief from your headaches.

Depending on the root cause of your migraines, we may recommend: 

• Medical Botox® injections
• Nerve blocks
• Cervical spinal cord stimulation
• Peripheral nerve stimulation

The bottom line is that our team is here to help. If you need help managing headaches, call the location of your choice or click here to reserve your appointment.