Migraines can be debilitating, learn what causes them and some natural remedies to help ease the pain.

They’re very common and very frustrating to deal with, so if you’ve been experiencing them, it’s only natural that you want to find out more about them and how they can be dealt with, and ideally, avoided. It’s possible to make that happen, even if you haven’t had much success so far.

We’re going to discuss migraines, what causes them and how they’re experienced below. We’ll then look at what you can do about them and the various all-natural remedies that can be used to address them.

What are the Most Common Migraine Symptoms?

A migraine is usually experienced as a throbbing headache. It might manifest itself on one side of the head or both sides. It’s also accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, such as nausea, a loss of appetite or vomiting. Migraine sufferers often experience sensitivity to bright lights and other stimuli too.

There are also after-effects that some people experience. When the migraine itself has subsided, some people find that they have a lingering sense of tiredness and exhaustion that can last for hours or even days afterward. They will often also get a sense that they’re about to get a migraine before it actually arrives.

What Causes Migraines?

It’s not known exactly what causes migraines, but there are a range of triggers that we know to be associated with migraines. And each individual migraine sufferer will have their own set of triggers that bring on migraines.

There’s a variety of categories that migraine triggers can belong to. They include emotional, hormonal, physical, dietary, medicinal and environmental factors. You can find out what your triggers are by paying attention to common themes and changes that might occur in the 24 hour period before you experience a migraine.

How Long Do Migraines Usually Last?

Migraines don’t last a set amount of time. It’s something that can vary from person to person, and it can also vary from occasion to occasion. A person might experience a migraine that lasts all day and the next week they might experience one that lasts a couple of hours.

Generally speaking, the average time it takes for a migraine to pass after its arrival is somewhere between 4 and 12 hours. This can be overwhelming for many migraine sufferers and that’s why working on prevention and finding remedies are so important.

Getting a Diagnosis

It’s often a good idea to talk to your doctor about your symptoms. They’ll be able to judge whether or not they’re typical of migraines. If you have symptoms that are not commonly associated with migraines, they might want to perform further tests to find out whether there are any other problems present.

In terms of testing for migraines, there’s not much that can be done beyond judging the symptoms you’re experiencing. Commonly used brain scans such as MRI or CT scans will usually appear completely normal, even if you’re experiencing severe migraines.

Migraine Prevention

It’s not always possible to prevent a migraine, but there are certain steps that can be taken that help. For example, cutting back on caffeine might reduce your likelihood to experience migraines. Lowering your stress levels and leading a calmer and more balanced life will help as well. Foods that can trigger a migraine include processed meats, aged cheeses, chocolate and sugar. Another possible cause of migraines is dehydration. Make sure you are staying properly hydrated, especially at warmer times of the year.

Not exposing yourself to regular climate and weather changes can help if that’s possible. You might also want to improve your sleep patterns and keep them as balanced and consistent as possible. All of those things can help with migraine prevention.

5 All Natural Migraine Remedies

There are many different ways to treat and help reduce migraines. These are five of the best all-natural migraine remedies. Each of them is known to help migraine sufferers, so they might be able to help you too.

1. Boost Your Magnesium

People who have magnesium deficiencies are more likely to experience migraine aura. And migraine aura is a kind of visual disturbance that leads to the onset of a migraine. People who suffer from migraines regularly often experience a decrease in their migraines after boosting their magnesium intake.

2. Use Ginger

Studies have found that using ginger yields similar results in reducing migraine symptoms as a commonly used migraine drug called sumatriptan. Ginger can be found at health food stores and many grocery stores as a tea, concentrated liquid, capsule or a ginger chew.

3. B Vitamins

It’s been found that B vitamins are capable of reducing both the severity and the frequency of migraines. The reasoning for this is that B vitamins can help to regulate neurotransmitters in the brain, helping to keep those migraines at bay.

4. Herbal Supplements

Some people find that herbal supplements work really well for them in reducing the symptoms of migraines and even their frequency. The two most commonly used herbal supplements associated with improving migraine symptoms are feverfew and butterbur. They can be very effective and are totally natural.

5. Chiropractic Care

Studies and reviews have found that Chiropractic Care can help people suffering from migraines. Migraines and other types of headaches can be cervicogenic in nature, meaning that they can be stemming from the cervical or neck region. Two main causes of these cervicogenic-origin headaches could be poor posture or trauma that cause the bones of the neck to be misaligned. Chiropractors use a gentle technique to realign these bones, taking the pressure off of nerves and thus allowing the headache to resolve. Many migraine sufferers stay adjusted by a Chiropractor to not only stop a migraine but prevent a migraine from starting.

These 5 migraine remedies will serve you well if this is something you’ve been struggling with in the past. You’re also armed with the facts about migraines, what their symptoms are and what some different options are to try to prevent or stop future migraine headaches from occurring. We hope this information helps you or a loved one who suffers from migraines.