Applying Heat or Cold for Migraine Headache Relief!

It’s quiet common now for people who suffer from migraine headaches to relieve the pain of a migraine headache with the use of heat or cold application.  This type of pain relief is particularly popular with people trying to minimize or avoid prescription medication use, especially among pediatric patients and their families.

Below are a few techniques that I have come across which can help ease the pain of a migraine headache.  Not all techniques work for all migraine sufferers.  While some find comfort in cold, at least as many are more uncomfortable in the presence of cold.  The same is true of heat used for pain relief—for some it helps, for others it makes the pain worse.

Apply a compress, hot or cold, to point on the head where the pain is most severe.  This is frequently on the temple where

a large artery runs or in front of the ear, another arterial locale. For those who feel their migraine headache pain “stabbing into the back of the eye” a damp cloth (warm or cool) laid over the eyes often provides relief.  As a side benefit, covering the eyes in this manner also eases the discomfort of photosensitivity for many migraine sufferers.

Taking a hot or cold shower with the water directed at the head and neck is another method to try, as is taking a warm

(neither hot nor cold) bath.  The latter is further enhanced with the use of appropriate aromatherapy techniques.

Some patients find relief by alternating hot and cold cloths at the point where the migraine pain is most intense. 

Sometimes hot and cold used simultaneously can ease the pain as well.  One may apply a cold compress on their forehead

while at the same time soaking their feet in a container of warm water.

It is not common for most migraine headach relief seekers to be simultaneously sensitive to both hot and cold, but it something one can look out for as it is not impossible to happen.