About Migraine Prevention

Prevention

1. Lifestyle management Regardless of whether preventive medication is used, managing lifestyle habits is helpful.

1. Remove triggering factors. Avoid foods that previously triggered a migraine attack. If another cause was related to triggering migraines, it is also better to avoid it. In general, it is important to sleep regularly and eat meals regularly. And if possible, try to manage stress.

2. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps relieve tension and prevent migraines. Unless it is difficult to exercise because of another medical problem, after consulting your primary care physician, start aerobic exercise. Walking, swimming, and cycling are good options. Start exercising slowly, and warm-up is essential. Sudden, intense exercise may instead cause a headache.

3. You can try reducing the estrogen dose. If you are using estrogen-containing medication, you can consider stopping or reducing the dose of such medication. These medications include birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy. However, adjusting the dose or replacing it with another medication must be discussed with your primary care physician.

2. Self-care

1. Keep a headache diary. Record when the headache started, how long it lasted, and how it was relieved. Also record how you responded when taking migraine medication. Record food intake, stress, and your mood throughout the day for the 24 hours before a migraine attack begins. Also record what you were doing when the headache started.

2. Do relaxation exercises. Muscle relaxation exercises, meditation, and yoga can help. Or spend at least 30 minutes a day on activities that reduce tension, such as listening to music, gardening, taking a bath, or reading.

3. Get enough sleep. However, sleeping too much is also not good. It is recommended to get about 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

4. Get enough rest. When a migraine begins, rest in a quiet, dark room if possible. Place an ice pack on the back of the neck or gently massage the scalp in the area where pain is felt.

So far, I have explained how to prevent migraines. In the next article, we will look at chronic fatigue syndrome.

Source: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, National Health Information Portal