Lack of sleep is a common trigger. Is there a way you can improve sleep? Read more for advice on how a regular sleeping schedule can improve your headaches.

5 tips to improve sleep:

  1. A regular sleep schedule of 7-8 hours a night.
  2. Do not watch television, read, eat, work or listen to music in bed.
  3. Use a visualization technique to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.
  4. Eat dinner 4 hours before going to bed. Limit beverages 2 hours before bedtime.
  5. Do not nap. It might be hard, but it is essential in order to re-establish night rest.

35% of 23 chronic migraine sufferers (more than 15 days of migraine a month) went back to an episodic frequency (less than 15 days of migraine a month) just by following these 5 tips.

No patient of the control group (who followed different instructions) reached this goal. Other useful tips:

Exercising regularly improves sleep quality and helps reduce the intensity of migraine attacks.

  • If your spouse snores, you might want to consider sleeping in another room a few nights a week.
  • If you have young children, try to manage one or two quiet nights a week.
  • If you wake up in the middle of the night, get out of the bedroom and do a repetitive activity (knitting, puzzle, etc., but no television or computer). When you feel sleepy, go back to bed.
  • Limit your caffeine intake, especially after 3 p.m. Medication is not an ideal solution. Most medicines used by doctors to treat insomnia have not been conceived for this purpose. These drugs disrupt normal sleep patterns and reduce its quality.

Some drugs can also aggravate sleep apnea, which causes daytime sleepiness. Also, many of these drugs can have long-term effects and slow you down during the day. Finally, the risk of addiction is high. The best solution is a behavioural remodeling of your lifestyle, supported by adequate medication and monitored by a doctor.

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