The Melatonin Hormone Can Relieve Migraines

You already know the symptoms of a migraine and how hard it is to make them go away. Nausea, light sensitivity and the crushing pain of a migraine can wreak havoc on your normal daily routine.

Heavy-duty pharmaceuticals are the only ones that work for many migraine patients, but unfortunately, they come with some awful side effects. But these do not have to be the only option anymore as scientists have discovered that melatonin can offer relief too.

Melatonin, known as the sleep hormone, is the one that controls the circadian rhythm (the 24-hour cycle that tells the body when it’s time to sleep). Researchers have found that this hormone can also decrease and modulate pain. The melatonin level is the lowest during the day and increases during the night. What scientists observed was that many people have less pain during the night, exactly when melatonin is peaking. Also, melatonin supplements have lowered pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and migraines.

Based on these results, melatonin might prevent migraines. Another study showed that only 3 mg taken half an hour before bedtime can reduce the intensity, overall frequency, and duration of headaches. Out of the 32 participants who participated in the study, 25 experienced a decrease in headache frequency of 50%, and 8 saw a complete remission of headaches.

How to benefit from melatonin?

• If you want to take melatonin as a preventative migraine treatment, take 3 mg half an hour or an hour before bedtime each day. You can also try various foods that can increase the melatonin level, such as cherries, walnuts, orange bell peppers, tomatoes, flax seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek, almonds, goji berries or raspberries.
• You should also avoid using your computer or watching TV in the evening as these devices emit blue light which makes your brain think it is still daytime. The brain starts secreting this hormone between 9 and 10 pm and the blue light stifles this process.
• Get as much sun exposure as possible. The pineal gland produces the melatonin hormone in approximation to the contrast of complete darkness during the night and bright sun exposure during the day. This means that if you stay the entire day indoors, the pineal gland will not be able to optimize your melatonin production.
• Try to sleep in complete darkness, because every bit of light can diminish the melatonin production ruin your biological clock. All electrical devices should be at least three feet away from the bed. The temperature in the room should not be higher than 70 degrees F.and
• Two hours before bedtime, try to take a hot bath. This will increase the core body temperature, which will abruptly drop when you get out of the bath. This will signal your body that it is ready to sleep. Don’t use loud alarm clocks. It can be very stressful to be jolted awake every morning.

Try these methods to increase your melatonin level and you might finally be free from using the heavy-duty pharmaceuticals and forget about migraines once and for all.