There’s nothing like the pure excitement and joy of travelling being diminished with a migraine. For many people migraines occur often and without warning. Having a migraine doesn’t mean ruining your travels though, I’m sharing tips for how to enjoy travelling amid a painful migraine.
Some important information on migraines, is that they’re not typical headaches. Medical News Today describes migraines as severe headaches, which are accompanied by other symptoms. Despite the amount of people that have migraines, there’s little medical research that’s led to proven facts on migraines.
Some important facts about migraines for this article is that there’s often triggers that may cause them. For most people, medication can be taken before a migraine sets in to reduce the amount of pain, but it doesn’t always work. A migraine can last from a few hours to a few days, according to WebMD.
I’ve had migraines for a little over ten years, and though some therapies have helped reduce them, I still have them on and off. I’ve had many while travelling, which is why I’m sharing tips for travelling with a migraine. Below is the most important tips when dealing with a migraine while travelling.
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Don’t Stress More
Travelling of all sorts can be stressful, even if it’s fun at the same time. Whether it’s a small road trip or a transatlantic flight, your body knows changes are happening. This can be both a trigger and a factor for a migraine to worsen.
If there isn’t a way to escape the stress of travelling, try some deep breathing to cope with it. Ignoring stress only goes so far and can actually backfire when the feelings arise again. By accepting the stress and moving forward with it, your migraine may feel less painful. Or, at least the pain may be easier to cope with.
Find your Triggers
Medication aside, finding your triggers which cause a migraine is the best way to avoiding or stopping them. Even when life if turned upside down with travelling, identifying triggers can help. If you feel a migraine coming on, try to figure out what trigger could be causing it. Are you dehydrated? Haven’t had enough caffeine? Missing some hours of sleep?
Your body adjusting to new surroundings can amplify these triggers. It’s also easy to forget triggers for a migraine when travelling because you’re constantly distracted. Just take a breath, and reflect on what’s going on in your body to cause the migraine.
Do what’s Comfortable and Easy
It adds to the stress and pain of having a migraine if you’re throwing yourself into hard activities as well as a new situation. Having a migraine may be your body’s way of telling you to slow it down and relax. But whether you want to admit it or not, it’s not fun to do most things while having a migraine.
So instead of jumping on a jet ski or deep-sea diving, maybe sit on the beach and listen to the waves. Just take some time to relax and takes things easy until you can handle more. Otherwise the symptoms of a migraine could worsen or intensify instead of feeling better.
Rearrange your Itinerary
On the same sentiment of taking it easy, it might be time to rearrange your itinerary a bit. This can help reduce stress by removing prior commitments. It’s okay to tell people you’re not feeling well, because sitting in a bar with a migraine isn’t fun.
By rearranging your itinerary it may still be possible to see or do everything you want, but just in a different order. Such as, a small walk in the woods instead of sky diving.
Stay Healthy
To avoid and prevent a migraine from getting worse, focus on your health. Dehydration, inconsistencies with caffeine, different sleep patterns, and not having enough real food mess with your brain’s chemistry. However while travelling it’s common to be stuck eating at gas stations, restaurants and airports—which rarely have fresh healthy food.
That when it’s a good time to stop at a road side fruit market, order a green smoothie or substitute water for another cup of coffee. You may not feel your migraine getting better immediately but it could reduce it from returning or the length of time you have it.
Feeling sick while travelling can bring up feelings of homesickness, to combat this, check out how to deal with homesickness while travelling.
