What Is Headache Hygiene?

As you can probably guess, it has nothing to do with soap and water. Headache hygiene simply means sticking to a healthy routine that’s intended to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.

While everyone’s triggers and experiences are different, practicing headache hygiene can be effective for all kinds of people with migraine. That’s because, as some say, “migraine hates change.” Keep your diet, schedule and bedtime predictable to deter migraine attacks.

The Elements of Headache Hygiene

Diet: Eat three healthy meals per day. Don’t skip meals, as the resulting drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can cause a migraine attack. If you know your specific food triggers, cut them out of your diet. Or, consider trying the migraine prevention diet developed for lupus patients at Johns Hopkins. The guidelines recommend avoiding some common migraine trigger foods (chocolate, cured meats, most cheeses, MSG) as well as citrus, nuts, onions, bananas, etc.

Hydration: Drink water throughout the day.

Sleep: Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day — yes, even on weekends! Your body might be telling you it wants to sleep late, but a consistent sleep schedule is best for headache hygiene.

Exercise: Experts recommend 30 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise at least three times per week. (“Moderate” exercise could mean briskly walking two miles, biking, swimming laps, etc.)

Stress reduction: While no routine can totally eliminate stress, using some proven stress-relief techniques can assist with migraine prevention. These might include deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or journaling.

Adding CEFALY DUAL to Your Headache Hygiene Routine

CEFALY DUAL’s PREVENT program can be an effective preventive migraine treatment when used daily. The 20-minute PREVENT program desensitizes the Trigeminal Nerve, which is heavily involved in the sensation of migraine headache pain. It’s clinically proven to help prevent migraine attacks: in one study, 38.1% of compliant patients who used CEFALY DUAL’s PREVENT treatment saw at least a 50% reduction in the number of migraine days¹.

Just like every other element of a headache hygiene plan, the PREVENT program must be used daily. Some CEFALY DUAL users make the program part of their morning routine. Others prefer to wear the device at night, just before bedtime. The sensation, while unfamiliar at first, feels soothing and relaxing once you’re accustomed to it.

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