#always terrified that im bein annoying by explaining stuff like this so i overexplain everything 😭😭

[qwertyfingers]

By the way! If these methods really help you, it's likely that your migraines are, at least partially, cervicogenic - which means they are caused by issues with your neck. Self-directed physio is usually *really helpful* for these issues. I'd honestly recommend anyone with frequent or chronic headaches of any kind try these exercises out for a while to see if they make a difference.

I've suffered with chronic migraines for over a decade, and implementing this stretching regimen about a year back was the most impactful treatment I'd ever had up to that point. They don't take very long, and most can be completed while sitting down. Just one or two rounds of at least half of these stretches each day can have a huge effect. I was linked to this specific page by a fellow intractable daily migraine haver over at r/migraine, and I've since shared it with several others and all of us got results following it, so I hope it'll do some good :)

I am obviously not a medical professional. If any of these exercises really hurt you I would advise speaking to one if you can.

Okay I’m currently furious that migraines are often so blindly easy to treat and I had to find this out myself at the age of 26 when I’ve been to a neurologist since I was 11 lol so I’m about to teach you two neat and fast little tricks to deal with pain!

The first is the sternocleidomastoid muscle, or the SCM muscle.

This big red section is responsible for pain around the eye, cheekbone, and jaw, as well as some temple pain. Literally all you have to do is angle your head down a little, angle it away from the side that hurts, and then you can gently pinch and rub that muscle. I find it best to start at the bottom and travel upwards. The relief is so immediate! You can increase pressure as you feel comfortable doing so.

Here is a short and easy video showing this in action

The second is a fast and easy stretch that soothes your vagus nerve, which is the nerve responsible for calming you down. The vagus nerve, for those unfamiliar, is stimulated by deep breathing such as yawning, sighing, singing, or taking a deep breath to calm your anger in a tense situation.

You can stretch this out by sitting up as straight as possible (this does not have to be perfect to work) and interlacing your fingers. Put your hands on the back of your head with your thumbs going down the sides of your neck and, while keeping your face forward, look all the way to one side with just your eyes. Hold that until you feel the urge to breathe deeply or yawn, or until you can tell there’s a change. Then do the same thing on the other side. When you put your arms down, you should clearly be able to turn your head farther in both directions. If the first session doesn’t get rid of your migraine, rest and repeat as many times as necessary. I even get a little fancy with it and roll my eyes up and down along the outer edge sometimes to stretch as much as I can.

If you need a visual here’s a good video on it. I know some of the language they use seems questionable but this is real and simple science and should not be discarded because it’s been adopted by the trendy wellness crowd!

I seriously cannot believe I didn’t hear a word of this from any doctor in my life. Additionally, if you get frequent recurring migraines, you may want to see a dietician. Migraines can be caused by foods containing histamines, lectin, etc. and can also be caused by high blood pressure in specific situations such as exercise, stress, and even sex.

If any of this information helps you I’d love to hear it btw! It’s so so fast and easy to do. Good luck!