If you suffer from worse than normal headaches, the kind that make you sick to your stomach, drained and sensitive to light, you may very well be having a migraine headache. Migraine headaches differ from normal, run of the mill headaches in the fact that they can, and usually are depilating. So much so, that the sufferer is often in bed for hours, even days at a time.

While only a doctor can accurately diagnose a migraine headache, there are common symptoms that most people report in conjunction with a migraine. A very common symptom is an intense sensitivity to light and / or sound. This can be so bad that the desire to crawl under a bed in a completely dark room is overwhelming.

The pain of a migraine headache is often reported as being unbearable. Everything from deep throbbing pain in the temples to pain that is more noticeable as physical activity increases. This makes it difficult to concentrate on work, family, driving or anything else except the pain.

Nausea is another reported symptom of these types of headaches. As with the pain, the nausea is generally increased with physical activity. This may or may not be accompanied by actual vomiting, depending on the person and the severity of the headache.

With a pain like that, that can last anywhere from 4 or 5 hours to 3 days, there must be something that can be done to alleviate the suffering. Thankfully, there is. While most drugs that help to combat migraine headaches need to be prescribed by a doctor, for this article we will concentrate on home remedies that you can try on your own.

The best thing that can be done to combat migraine headaches, or any health issue for that matter, is to listen to your body. If you notice that you are experiencing an influx of migraines, you need to figure out why. The simplest way to do this is to keep a diary of when the headaches are happening, what you ate, how long you slept, and any stressful activities…all of which are known to be migraine triggers.

When a headache is encroaching, if possible, find a quiet and dark place to take a bit of a nap. This may, in some cases, be enough to ward off a full-blown migraine attack.

A massage is often useful in helping the body and mind to relax during a migraine headache. There are many techniques and devices available on the market today that make it possible to accomplish a relaxing massage on your own, if you don’t have another set of hands at your disposal.

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese medical discipline, is often touted as a ‘miracle cure’ for migraine headaches. Acupuncture works on the premise that energy flows through the body and that when that energy is disrupted it wreaks havoc within the body. This remedy involves the deliberate placement of needles at precise points on the body to restructure the energy flow, thereby relieving the headache.

The next time a migraine headache threatens, try on of these methods. After all, it can’t hurt.