Lifestyle Changes for People with Vestibular Migraines

Hundreds of patients who experience frequent vestibular migraine attacks visit our practice for lasting Boise ID migraine relief. Most of them ask us the same thing, “what lifestyle changes do I have to make to cope better?”. So, our team decided to explore this topic in our blog post. Hopefully, you can curb your symptoms by knowing helpful lifestyle changes for vestibular migraine relief.
 
Get to Know Your Vestibular Migraines Symptoms
The first step to achieving lasting Boise ID migraine relief is to understand your condition. How often do you experience vestibular migraine attacks? How long does each episode last? Have you explored certain vestibular migraine remedies? 

Also, we suggest observing which vestibular migraines symptoms you experience during each episode. Here are a few signs of vestibular migraines you can use when documenting your attacks: 

• Sensitivity to sensory stimuli like loud sounds and bright lights
• Difficulty focusing or remembering things
• Anxiety or panic attacks
• Worse symptoms when you move around 
• Vertigo attacks that come and go 
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of balance 
• Tinnitus or hearing loud buzzing or ringing sounds
• Neck pain accompanied by muscle spasms

Pay Attention to the Food Your Eat
According to a recent study on migraine attacks, making a few diet modifications can help reduce the severity and intensity of the symptoms. You can start by avoiding your food triggers. Some of our patients note the following food items as their vestibular migraine trigger: 

• Food that contains high amounts of preservatives and sweeteners
• Caffeinated drinks and food
• Fermented, dried, or pickled food products 
• Alcohol-containing beverages
• Aged cheese (brie, feta, cheddar, manchego, parmesan, etc.)
• Processed dairy products like buttermilk, yogurt, and sour cream
• Nuts and nut-derived products

Researchers recommend trying an elimination diet if you don’t know which products trigger a vestibular migraine episode for you. You can check if you’re sensitive to the products listed above and if you have additional migraine food triggers.

Indulge in Vestibular Migraine Fighting Foods
Apart from knowing what your food trigger, it also helps to familiarize yourself with the superfoods that work well in preventing an attack. Here are some food products you should include in your next trip to the grocery:

• Fruits: Most fruits except for citruses like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are good for migraineurs. 
• Grains: This includes buckwheat, brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, and other whole grains.
• Vegetables: Most veggies except nightshades and broad beans help improve migraine symptoms.
• Meat and fish: Feel free to include gamey meat products like turkey and lamb and cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
• Fats: We recommend cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil.
• Dairy substitutes: You may include unsweetened rice milk and coconut cream.
• Spices, condiments, and others: Studies recommend adding black pepper, spices, fresh herbs, and apple cider vinegar.

​To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and migraines, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

Stay Away from Vestibular Migraine Triggers
Vestibular migraines get triggered by migraine and vertigo triggers. Are you familiar with these things? If not, we suggest going through the list of risk factors and triggers reported by patients who experience either a vertigo attack or migraine headache. 

• Medication abuse
• Stress (physical injuries, emotional problems, financial troubles, illness, job loss, death of a loved one, etc.)
• Sleep deprivation
• Hormonal changes (especially in women)
• Weather and temperature changes

Our upper cervical doctor suggests keeping a vestibular migraine diary. This will help you understand why your vestibular migraine attacks happen and what you can do to manage the symptoms. If you notice other triggers besides those listed above, we suggest tracking them and reporting them to your physician or upper cervical chiropractic doctor. 

Know What Medications Work for Your Episodes 
Sometimes medications provide the fastest Boise ID migraine relief. So, it might help to tap into medicines used to manage vertigo or migraine attacks. A few examples of these include:  

• Aspirin
• Anticonvulsant medications
• Beta-blockers
• Ibuprofen
• Isometheptene mucate
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Calcium channel blockers
• Triptans 
• Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)

Be sure to get a prescription before taking these medications to avoid complications. For example, if you have a gastric ulcer or a history of intestinal bleeding, you should avoid taking aspirin. On the one hand, you should avoid calcium channel blockers if you have liver or kidney disease.
  
Make sure you get enough sleep
Dizziness, vertigo attacks, and headaches can improve if you get enough restorative sleep. So, you might also find it helpful to work on your sleep hygiene. Below are a few practical techniques to avoid interruptions when you rest at night: 

• Follow a consistent sleeping schedule
• Use a dim light setting when you try to get some sleep
• Lessen time spent sleeping during the day
• Avoid or limit blue light exposure
• Limit caffeine intake a couple of hours before your scheduled bedtime
• Switch to better beddings

Achieve Boise ID migraine relief with Upper Cervical Care
Besides all the lifestyle tips we listed above, we strongly recommend exploring upper cervical care. Receiving regular adjustments can help you achieve lasting Boise ID migraine relief. It will also help you improve your balance and spinal alignment.
 
Upper cervical chiropractic has provided many patients the chance to work around their vestibular migraines. Additionally, its holistic and gentle approach makes it one of the most sought-after natural remedies for all kinds of vestibular migraine symptoms.
 
We suggest trying upper cervical care today so you can remove the interferences that may be causing your neurological condition. Call the Upper Cervical Health Centers Boise at (208) 559-0541. You may also accomplish this contact form for your questions.
​ 
​To schedule a consultation with Dr. Blom, call 208-559-0541, or just click the button below.