During recent years, “self-care” has become quite a buzzword that you’ve likely seen hashtagged all over social media. But how can those of us with migraine put self-care into practice? A good place to start is by viewing it as a two-pronged approach: using strategies acutely during an attack, and employing certain practices on a consistent basis for daily management and prevention. We rounded up feedback from our community, plus garnered some valuable advice from a top medical expert on self-care practices for those with migraine disease. Here’s how they weighed in:
Self-Care Practices for During a Migraine Attack
Be Nice to Yourself
There are a number of important self-care strategies that one can employ during an attack, and self-compassion tops the list for Rebecca Wells, MD, associate neurology professor and founder and director for the Comprehensive Headache Program at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, NC. “We’ve done research that demonstrates that so many patients with migraine experience blame and guilt,” shares Dr. Wells. “Often patients ask themselves, ‘What did I do to make this happen?’ which can lead to anger and frustration, and those emotions can potentially exacerbate the pain. Getting a person to realize, here it is, here is the attack, and offering as much self-compassion” as possible is a huge step in moving through the episode with a little more ease.
When we asked the Migraine Again community, “What do you do to take care of yourself during a migraine attack?” self-compassion also threaded its way through many responses. Sandhya U. wrote: “Acceptance … once the migraine triggers, just rest. Self-love will help.” Sombraluz I. shared the benefits of “… affirmations reminding me that my pain isn't my fault and I am capable.” And Sam D. wrote, “I've had to learn to let everything go until I'm feeling better or it just drags on or comes back again rapidly.”
Take Your Meds Sooner Rather Than Later
Many of us with migraine have been on the side of the fence where we choose to wait and see how bad the attack will get, rather than taking our meds immediately. Dr. Wells underscores the importance of resisting the tendency to delay medicating: “It’s like waiting if there was a fire in the kitchen to see if it gets better versus dumping water on it.” She says it’s about reversing one’s thinking to, ‘Oh let me get the water on it immediately, knock this out from the beginning’ because when patients wait, “sometimes that can ultimately make the pain worse.”
Nearly half of our community respondents included medication on their lists of self-care. Diane N. notes: “If it’s a bad one, medicate, medicate, medicate; isolate, isolate, isolate; and sleep, sleep, sleep.” For Jennifer N., it’s about “recogniz[ing] what type of migraine it is and treat[ing] it accordingly without feeling guilty if that means more meds.”
Turn Down the Noise
When a migraine strikes, don’t be an island; let others know what you need. “Notifying others that the individual has a migraine, and avoiding bright light and loud noises is important,” says Dr. Wells. She also notes that it’s imperative to preemptively educate family and friends about migraine, so when an attack hits, they are already aware how crucial a dark, quiet environment is.
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Sleep It Off
Sleep was echoed over and over as the number one response in our community and Dr. Wells notes that if one can fall asleep during an attack, “it can be very valuable.” Patricia S. says her go-to strategy is a “dark, quiet room. Sleep! Then sleep some more.”
Hit the Pause Button
Although every individual with migraine has their own go-to list when an attack strikes, one thing is clear: Taking a pause is paramount. Rest-inducing rituals from our community included ones like these:
“Migraine medications, 432 Hz frequency sounds, dark room, ice packs on head and neck, lavender on my pillow, spearmint essential oil on forehead, sleep, and pray!” — Colleen L.
“I put on my comfy PJs, get a big glass of ice water, curl up in bed with my snuggly dog, and relax. I try to do meditation and awareness exercises.” — Nancy E.
“A dark room, a heated eye pillow, ginger ale, and my favorite triptan.” — Ellen B.
Self-Care Strategies for Migraine Management and Prevention
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep
Vgontzas A, Li W, Mostofsky E, et al. Baseline sleep quality, stress, and depressive symptoms, and subsequent headache occurrence in a six-week prospective cohort study of patients with episodic migraine. Headache. May 2021.
Tiseo C, Vacca A, Felbush A, et al. Migraine and sleep disorders: a systematic review. The Journal of Headache and Pain. Oct 2020.
Get Moving, Even If Just Gently
Barber M, Pace A. Exercise and Migraine Prevention: a Review of Literature. Psychological and Behavioral Aspects of Headache with Pain. June 2020.
Eat Clean and Green
Keeping up with a healthy diet that is “high in fruit and vegetables, while avoiding processed foods,” can be helpful, notes Dr. Wells. Incorporate migraine-fighting produce like those found in this recipe, and take a page from recent research that shows upping your intake of Omega-3s can help prevent migraine pain.
Stress Less
It’s important to understand how stress impacts migraine, how it can intensify the disease, and how to avoid it. The good news about the above suggestions — diet, exercise, and sleep — is that they all work together for stress relief. “These lifestyle factors can contribute to overall improved well-being and help with managing stress,” says Dr. Wells. “When one’s overall well-being is better and they have a migraine attack, they can treat it better because they’re coming from a healthier baseline.”
Consistency is Key
Self-care includes taking time to make sure you’re fueling your body throughout the day. Eat regularly scheduled meals, avoid missing meals, stay hydrated with non-caffeinated beverages (particularly water), and practice getting a consistent amount of sleep, even on the weekends. The key here, according to Dr. Wells, is consistency. “The migraine brain is sensitive to change. Consistency may decrease setting off an attack,” she says.
Striving for balance and consistency also shone through in comments from our community:
Katie P.’s regular self-care regime consists of good “sleep hygiene, CPAP [machine], work-life balance, hydration, stress reduction, getting my mental health in check, and eating right for my body.”
How To Cancel Plans When You Need Self-Care. American Migraine Foundation. Oct 2021.
As Gary A. sums it up: “Stay hydrated, exercise regularly but not intensively, stick to a bedtime routine, think positive, minimize negativity, introduce mindfulness meditation, avoid shallow breathing, and try to avoid stressful events.”
Real World Strategies
When it comes to everyday life itself, plus living with chronic migraine, it can be challenging to find the time to truly employ self-care in a way that makes a difference. But a calm mind, self-compassion, and a little comfort can go a long way.
Set Your Mind to Self-Care
Dr. Rebecca Wells. Mindfulness for Migraine Webinar. Sept 2021.
Wells R, Seng E, Edwards R, et al. Mindfulness in migraine: A narrative review. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. Jan 2020.
Comfort is King
Our community points to getting as comfortable as possible — whatever that means to you — during a migraine episode. Micah R. turns to his “softest clothes and blankets, a heating pad and comfy pillow, and a nice, fat sleep,” while Heather J.’s tools include an “ice hat, rest, electronic eye massager, gua sha tools, and art therapy.” (Gua sha is an ancient Chinese method of gently scraping the face and body with a jade stone to improve circulation and promote healing.)
Give Yourself a Break
And again, the importance of exercising self-compassion cannot be stressed enough. Dr. Wells acknowledges the extreme “impact that migraine has on people’s lives, and that self-blame and guilt is a huge factor.” If those of us with migraine can strip away the negative emotions that come heavily with the disease and reframe them through a compassionate angle — just as we would take care of a child or loved one — perhaps we can bring some hope to those of us living with migraine and ways to manage its effect on our lives.
Keep It Simple
But keep simplicity in mind. Add in small moments throughout your day that will eventually become habit, rather than trying to incorporate too many items that will inevitably slide off of your to do list. One easy thing you can do right now is to bookmark this article so you can return to it for ideas the next time you have an attack, and choose one self-care prevention strategy you can start incorporating today.
