Looking for some pain relief from your migraines? A good plan for migraine pain management starts with avoiding your triggers. The best place to start practicing this is in your home. We usually have the most control over our home environment. Once we can migraine-proof our homes, it will be easier to migraine-proof other areas of our lives.

4 Tips for Migraine-Proofing Your Home

Here are some tips that migraine specialists recommend for reducing exposure to migraine triggers in your home.

Reduce the Lighting

Photophobia, or light sensitivity, is a common symptom of migraines. Not only are migraine sufferers more sensitive to light during an attack, but evidence also indicates that they are sensitive in between their attacks. Additionally, light exposure seems to contribute to the start of a migraine attack, and an increase in duration of light exposure can increase attack frequency.

Light is not a trigger for every migraine suffer, but if it does affect you, consider these tips for reducing your exposure to light:

• Use drapes to dim or block out sunlight from outside
• Install and use light dimmers for your room lighting fixtures
• Take breaks from your bright computer screen and TV
• Use bulbs with softer lightning

Eliminate Odors and Smells

Odors and smells affect migraine sufferers differently. For some, strong smells and odors can trigger a migraine, and for others, they may experience an altered sense of smell. In a London 2007 study, researchers found about 40% of migraine sufferers reported not being able to tolerate smells. The most offending smells and odors were perfume, food, and cigarette smoke.

In order to eliminate or reduce these strong smells and odors, avoid using scented candles, perfumes, colognes, strong cleaning products, and air fresheners. Consider using fragrance-free products.

Reduce Exposure to Loud Noise

Not only can noise be a trigger for migraines, but it can also make them worse. You can use thick carpeting and heavy drapes to drown out and absorb sound. If you can’t avoid noise, noise-cancelling headphones can also tune out loud sounds. Even consider creating a private, quiet room in the house where you can escape noise.

Make Your Bedroom Conducive to Sleeping

It is important for migraine sufferers to get enough sleep. Studies have found a link between disturbed sleep and more severe or more frequent migraines. Try aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep with minimal disturbances. In order to do this, turn your bedroom into a sleep haven:

• Avoid going to bed with the TV on
• Get a comfortable mattress
• Set your thermostat between 60-67 degrees
• Use blackout curtains, eye shades or ear plugs when needed

If you suffer from chronic migraines, consider visiting a migraine specialist. At Apex Medical Center, you can find migraine specialists in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV. Contact us for questions or to book an appointment.