Ayurvedic Diet and Lifestyle Changes to Cure Migraine

Migraine is a neurological condition characterized by throbbing and pulsative headache on one half of the side and its attack lasts for hours to days. It comes primarily associated with, 

1. Nausea 
2. Vomiting 
3. Sensitive to light and sound 
4. Vertigo 
5. Loose motion 

Migraines often happen in the morning, especially when you wake up. Some people can predict the time of migraine-like before their menstruation or by following a stressful weekend and Symptoms of migraine differ from person to person but some triggering factors like,

• Lack of sleep 
• Overexertion 
• Emotional stress
• Bright or flashlights 
• Loud or sudden noises 
• Skipping of food  
• Hormonal changes etc.

According to Ayurveda migraine can be correlated with a disease called Ardhawabhedaka that is Arda means Half side and Bedhaka Means cutting pain so Ardhwabhedaka means Cutting type of pain on the one-half side of the head. It is caused due to simultaneous vitiation of Tridosha such as vata, pitta, and kapha. 

Here your diet and lifestyle have a major role in preventing the frequency and intensity of migraine, so having a good Diet and Lifestyle is necessary. 

Pathya Ahara (Good Diet)

Food that which good for migraine,

• Include pulses like Green gram, Black gram, and Horse gram in your diet 
• Vegetables like potatoes, drum stick, etc 
• Include green leafy vegetables 
• Fruits like Mango, Indian gooseberry, Pomegranate, and Grapes you can take. 
• Cow milk
• Cow ghee 
• Sugar and honey 

Apathya Ahara (Bad Diet)

Food to Avoid,

• Avoid Alcoholic beverages
• Avoid certain vegetables like onion, lemon, etc.
• Avoid certain dairy products like Buttermilk, yogurt, old cheese,  etc 
• Avoid Caffeine like coffee and tea
• Avoid pulse like red gram
• Chocolates 
• Wheat 

Along with a Good diet, you should follow a Good lifestyle also  

Pathya Vihara (Good lifestyle)

• Ensure Proper sleep 
• Should follow proper food at the proper time 
• Do proper Exercise 
• Do proper yoga and meditation (practice only under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor )
• Avoid Day time sleep
• Reduce Stress 

Apathya Vihara (Bad Lifestyle)

• Irregular or insufficient sleep 
• Skipping of meals 
• Excessive caffeine intake
• Lack of exercise 
• Overstressed work 
• Prolonged exposure to screens, such as computers, smartphones, or television
• Smoking 

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Recommended Yoga Asanas for People with Migraine

Yoga offers two main benefits when it comes to dealing with migraine. First, it can boost the body’s ability to resist triggering factors. Second, it helps to calm your mind. Sometimes migraine occurs because of stress, that’s why migraine is considered a psychosomatic disorder.  According to yoga, migraine and other headaches occur in people who have restless minds so doing specific yoga asanas under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor helps by improving blood flow and relaxing the body’s stress response.

Here are some yoga asanas that can be practised,

• Hastapada asana (Standing forward benting)

Which helps to increase blood supply and calm your mind.

•  Sethu Bandasanam (Bridge pose)

Which helps to calm the brain and reduce anxiety 

• Shishuasanam (Child pose)

Calm down the nervous system and effectively  reduce the pain 

• Paschimottasana (Two legged forward bend)

Reduce the stress and reduce the head pain

• Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Increase blood circulation to the head and relieve pain

• Padmasana (Lotus Pose)

Relax your mind and body and reduce the stress 

• Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

It rejuvenates the body by bringing it into a deep state of meditative rest.

Practicing yoga asanas regularly can reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks. Meditation, which is also a part of yoga, helps turn your attention inward, making your mind more peaceful and less likely to trigger factors. This helps for a peaceful Neuro-physiological state.