Six Natural Remedies for Hormonal Migraines

For those of us who have experienced migraines, we know the pain that comes along with them. Migraines have many different causes and, in fact, there are a wide variety of different types of migraines. One of the more chronic types of migraines are hormonal migraines. Let’s take a deeper look at this particular condition and some natural remedies that can help you if you suffer from hormonal migraines.

 

 

What are Hormonal Migraines?

 

Have you ever noticed that you seem to get migraines only at specific times such as before or during your period? If this is the case, you may very well be experiencing hormonal migraines. This type of migraine is associated with changes in the hormone levels in your body. The hormones estrogen and progesterone not only effect the menstrual cycle and pregnancy but also can affect chemicals in the brain that can contribute to headaches.

 

Levels of these two hormones typically drop right before the start of your period, which is typically when people who experience hormone migraines feel symptoms. Additionally, having high levels of estrogen may trigger hormonal migraines, which is why it is more likely that someone on birth control medication may experience them.

 

Hormonal migraines are one of the major reasons why it is far more common for women to experience migraines than men. In fact, 70% of migraines sufferers are women. Of all women who experience migraines, roughly 60-70% are expected to involve hormonal migraines. Like most migraines, hormonal migraines have symptoms such as moderate to severe headaches, sensitivity to light or noise, dizziness, nausea, and tiredness.

 

Fortunately, there are a number of natural remedies that can help with hormonal migraines. Let’s take a look at six natural remedies for hormonal migraines.

 

Practicing Mindfulness

 

Stress is known to be a strong contributor to the prevalence and severity of hormonal migraines. In fact, stress can even trigger changes in your hormones. Reducing stress has been found to be a very helpful natural way of reducing the frequency and severity of hormonal migraines. Thus, there are many things that you can do to help with this effect.

 

For many people, practicing mindfulness exercises is a great way to help reduce stress. This can be through a guided meditation. Mindfulness videos can be found on YouTube or even through smart phone apps. Many people will find success pairing mindfulness through yoga or forms of meditation. The ultimate goal is to quiet the mind, focus on breathing, and reduce stress through focus.

 

 

Limit Alcohol

 

If you enjoy drinking, your alcohol consumption may be a contributing factor to the severity of frequency of your hormonal migraines. Many people have found that consuming alcohol with more moderation can help them with their hormonal migraines. There is good reason to why this can be an effective remedy.

 

Alcohol is knows as a vasodilator. This means that it widens blood vessels, which helps blood flow more freely. While this may seem like a positive thing, the reality is that this can contribute to the increased severity of headaches for some people. Additionally, alcohol consumption can increase dehydration, which often triggers or worsens headaches.

 

Remove Foods High in Histamine from Your Diet

 

You likely have heard the word histamine in terms of allergies or allergic reactions. Histamine is a chemical that occurs naturally in your body but can also be consumed. It is particularly prevalent in certain foods like cheese, beer, wine, and fermented foods.

 

However, histamine can be a trigger for migraines. In fact, research has found that people sensitive to histamine can have migraines triggered when their levels of it are high. Thus, one way to help relieve the symptoms of hormonal migraines or even stop them all together is to reduce your intake of histamine by eliminating these high-histamine foods.

 

Leverage Essential Oils

 

Essential oils are plant-based natural substances that have been used to improve health and wellness for thousands of years. They have gained a particularly large following in recent years due to their ability to influence a number of conditions. Hormonal migraines are no different as they can often be treated or even prevented with essential oils.

 

There are a few different oils that are particularly effective in reducing the pain from hormonal migraines or preventing them completely. These include peppermint oil and lavender oil. This is one of the reasons why Aculief’s Calm Essential Oil Balm contains both of these essential oils. A great way to use this for hormonal migraines is to apply it to the temples.

 

Increasing B vitamin Intake

 

If you are suffering from hormonal migraines, it is important to ensure that you are receiving the recommended daily intake of B vitamins. Several of these have been scientifically found to reduce the pain of headaches symptoms including riboflavin, folate, and pyridoxine. While these do not prevent hormonal migraines from occurring, they often significantly reduce the pain.

 

B vitamins can affordably be taken using one of the many B vitamin supplements that are available which often feature all eight B vitamins. Since they are water soluble, they are safe to take as any excess will be easily removed by your body.

 

Avoid Nitrates

 

If you aren’t really sure what a nitrate is, it is a chemical compound that has both oxygen and nitrogen. These nitrates serve an important purpose for some foods. Specifically, they are used as a preservative, making certain processed meats last longer and preventing the growth of bacteria. Thus, you will often find lots of nitrates in hot dogs, bacon, and other types of processed meat.

 

 

However, when you consume nitrates, they often serve to cause expansion of blood vessels. In other words, nitrates are vasodilators just like alcohol. As we know, this is known to trigger migraines in people susceptible to them. If you suffer from hormonal migraines, consider keeping a journal of foods eaten and noting the severity and frequency of your headaches. This can help determine if nitrates may be a contributing factor.

 

Final Thoughts

 

We hope you have found this blog to be helpful Aculief is committed to helping educate people about natural remedies to health problems. Feel free to check our blog frequently for more natural remedies for your headaches and migraines.