5 Foods to Soothe Migraine Headaches
Migraine is a headache varying in intensity for different individuals and is often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for hours or even days, and the intense pain may hinder your everyday activities as well.
While there isn’t any particular cause for a migraine, there are various triggers like hormonal changes, stress, anxiety, insufficient sleep, and improper diet. Certain medications like sleeping pills, environmental factors like loud noises, flickering screens, and bright lights can also act as triggers. Being aware of your triggers makes it easy to manage the onset of your migraine and get relief faster.
While migraine attacks can be severe and you can easily get a prescription for it, some of you may prefer incorporating natural remedies, including foods that can help alleviate the pain:
- Bananas
Bananas are a great source of vitamin B6, and they also provide you with serotonin. This vitamin is a headache-fighting powerhouse, and serotonin also acts as an antidepressant that lowers the amount of pain felt by the body. Vitamin B6 is also known to fight mental fatigue, making this a superfood when it comes to alleviating migraine. - Ginger
Its many healing properties make ginger a great natural medicine for ailments.
Apart from being delicious, these small fruits also have headache-fighting properties. Cherries have a compound called quercetin, which has strong antioxidant, anti-allergy, and anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks to these healing properties, cherries act as a shield against sensitivity and pain in the body. You may either consume them as is or as juice.
Some experts suggest that increasing your magnesium intake can relieve your migraines. Some foods that are rich in magnesium are bananas, avocados, almonds, cashews, brown rice, legumes, and dried apricots. Magnesium has properties to relax your blood vessels, making it one of the minerals that help in treating migraines.
This spice, just like ginger, has many healing properties. Capsaicin, the compound that gives it the spicy flavor, is the reason for its healing superpowers. Capsaicin is responsible for dulling one of the neurotransmitters that send out pain signals to the brain. You can take a pinch of cayenne pepper, mix it with warm water, and sip on it at regular intervals. Applying it directly on the skin also helps, but you need to be careful as it may lead to irritation on sensitive skin.
Apart from these foods, ensure that you take enough rest in a room with minimum or no light at all. Keep yourself hydrated, and pamper yourself with a relaxing massage. A healthy and balanced diet, in general, can help you manage your migraines.
