3 Migraine Hacks I Can't Live Without
If you follow me for any length of time, you'll know migraines are a regular part of my life. Over the years I've built up a small toolkit of things that actually help when an attack hits, or when I can feel one building. Here are the three I reach for the most.
1. Feet in the bath
I talk about this one a lot, not only because it's helped me so much but because it's free. If you don't have a bath, holding the shower head on your feet seems to work just as well.
Place your feet in warm water and wrap a cold flannel around the back of your neck. The warm water draws blood away from your head, easing the migraine and tension, while the cold flannel helps constrict the blood vessels and calm the inflammation driving the pain.
The first time I tried this, I had a migraine flare just before I needed to go into the office. It was right after a holiday, and they weren't always that understanding about me needing more sick days than a 'normal' employee. I was pretty desperate. The migraine was rife, and by mid-morning the pain I thought would last all day had actually eased. I couldn't believe it. It's a hack I'll be using forever now, even when I can't be bothered to sit on the edge of the bath for 10 minutes, I do it, because I know it works.
Note: this one doesn't work for everyone. Some of us respond better to heat, some to cold. Worth trying, but I know it sadly isn't everyone's go-to.
2. Reiki
I might be biased since I'm a reiki healer myself, but reiki has eased my migraine pain, and the anxiety that comes with it, more times than I can count. I've told the story before of a migraine that lasted three weeks and disappeared in less than 24 hours after I received healing from two women on my training course.
I've also practised self-reiki during an attack and been amazed at how much it eases the pain.
Some people see reiki as pure love, and in the moments I'm overwhelmed by migraine pain, lying in a dark room with nothing else I can do, I understand exactly why. The energy calms me, eases the tension, and allows me to sleep, even briefly, which stops the migraine from worsening.
If you're curious about reiki, I offer a free 15-minute discovery calls, to see if it's something that can help support you:
3. Rolling my neck on a yoga block
I lie down with a yoga block under the base of my skull, then gently roll my head side to side. It releases tension in the neck and shoulders, which is so often where a migraine starts building before it reaches my head.
I do this when I feel tightness creeping in before a full attack, sometimes it's enough to stop it escalating altogether. Other times I do it mid-migraine, because even a small release in the neck takes the edge off.
It's simple, it's free, and it takes two minutes.
I filmed exactly how I do it, including block placement and pressure: watch here.
Note: go gently, especially if your neck is already tense. It should feel like a slow release, never pressure or pain.
Talk soon,
Gaby
Founder, Yōsei Healing 妖精
In my toolkit right now: Acu Seeds. They can be used for a range of different things but they really help to take the edge of a migraine for me. If you want to try them, here's my code for a 10% discount: GABSSFITNESS.