Migraine: What to Do Day to Day? An Osteopath's Advice
Triggers to identify, a migraine diary, what to do during an attack and the signs that mean you should see a doctor: advice from Éric Rosati, osteopath for 30 years.
Migraine affects about 15% of the world's population. It is not just a headache: it comes as attacks that return, sometimes several times a month, and can keep you in bed for hours.
In thirty years of practice, I have met many patients with migraine. Their treatment is a matter for their doctor. But day to day, a few simple habits often help them live better with their attacks. Here they are.
1. Identify what triggers your attacks
For many people with migraine, outside factors can trigger an attack. The most common ones:
- stress, and sometimes the drop in stress at the weekend or at the start of a holiday
- lack of sleep, or on the contrary a long lie-in
- bright light, noise, strong smells
- alcohol, too much coffee or stopping it suddenly
- certain foods, such as aged cheeses, chocolate or citrus fruit
- changes in the weather, and for women, the approach of their period
Everyone has their own triggers. None is universal.
2. Keep a migraine diary
This is the advice I give most often. For two or three months, write down each attack: the date, the time, how long it lasted, what you had eaten, how you slept, your stress level. Over the weeks, patterns appear. The diary is also very useful for your doctor.
3. During an attack, find somewhere calm
Lie down in a quiet, dark room and try to sleep. A cold compress on the back of the neck helps some people. Take the treatment prescribed by your doctor at the first signs, as they told you.
4. Be careful with painkillers
Taking pain medication too often can, over time, lead to almost constant headaches. If you take some several days a week, talk to your doctor.
5. Keep regular rhythms
Steady bedtimes and wake-up times, meals at set times, enough water: regularity limits the ups and downs that a migraine-prone brain handles poorly.
6. Make room for calm
Stress is one of the contributing factors. Relaxation techniques are mainly recognised for tension headaches, but a regular moment of calm does many migraine patients good. What matters is building it into a routine, rather than waiting for the attack.
In my practice, I often see raised shoulders, a stiff neck and a clenched jaw in people with migraine. Learning to release these areas is part of that calm routine.
When to see a doctor
Call emergency services immediately if the headache is sudden, unusual and intense, or comes with a high fever, a stiff neck, vomiting, loss of strength, difficulty walking or speaking, or seizures.
See your doctor the same day if you also have vision problems. Book an appointment within the next few days if your attacks last longer than usual, change in nature, or do not ease after 48 hours of self-medication.
A calm appointment, designed for people with migraine
I designed the Migraine listening programme for people prone to migraines who want regular moments of calm: 36 quiet minutes, soft lighting, headphones on, one session every 8 days. It does not treat migraine and does not replace your treatment. To discover the method, the first session of the Anti-Stress programme is free.
Éric Rosati, osteopath with 30 years of experience. This article is for information and does not replace your doctor's advice.
Sources (in French): Vidal, Migraine causes · Santé.fr, Headaches and migraine · Santé.fr, Migraines
🎧 Recommended programme: Migraine
To listen to with headphones, in a quiet place, at your own pace.