Soothe a Migraine

As a suffer of migraines since the age of seven (I am 24), I have tried and tested every method to ease the pain that accompanies this awful condition.

A few of my tried-and-true methods:

1.) As soon as you feel the onset of a migraine, eliminate loud sounds, bright lights and any extremely potent smells (perfume, candles, etc.). All of these triggers will only worsen or quicken the onset of a migraine.

2.) Sip on Diet Coke. Or something with a bit of caffeine. This is a trick I learned from my mom (she also suffers from migraines). The little bit of caffeine seems to lessen the pain. ONLY SIP IT. Drinking to much caffeine can actually have the opposite effect. And drink it in a can -- for some reason it just works better.

3.) Ice, ice, baby. Grab an ice pack, frozen peas, heck, pull out a slab of steak -- I don't care. Just start icing at the location of the pain. It will sting at first, but, eventually, it will quiet the tensing of your muscles at the base of your migraine.

These are, of course, not prescribed methods, but they have worked for me. Obviously, a pain reliever (Ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.) or prescription medicine might also be in order.

And if you can, coax a friend or significant other into massaging your shoulders. It will help to release tension and, therefore, ease your migraine.

Hope this helps!