3 Best Practices for Managing Chronic Migraines
Jun 11, 2026
You’ve been looking forward to a social outing or event and, as happens too often, a migraine strikes on that very day. And this isn’t the first time that a headache has prevented you from enjoying your life.
As anyone with a history of migraines can tell you, these headaches are debilitating. In fact, the World Health Organization categorizes migraines as a leading driver of disability, especially for the nearly 150 million people around the world who have chronic migraines.
Closer to home, about 37 million Americans report migraines.
Given that June is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, our team at Gill Neuroscience, which is under the direction of board-certified neurologist Dr. Paul Gill, covers some effective strategies for managing chronic migraines below.
These best practices are well worth following, as they can reduce the frequency and severity of your headaches.
Since there is no cure for migraines, treating these headaches comes down to prevention and symptom management.
For example, there are abortive medications that you can take after a headache strikes to shorten the duration and reduce symptoms, such as triptans and painkillers.
There are also preventive medications that are designed to stop a migraine from developing in the first place, such as beta blockers, antiseizures, and Botox®.
So, if you’re suffering from chronic migraines, which means you have at least 15 headache days per month, figuring out which medications work for you is critical, and that’s where we can help.
Under our guidance, we can figure out which combination of medications works best for managing your chronic migraines.
It’s important to work with a neurology team like ours because you want to avoid issues like medication overuse headaches (MOH), a condition that affects 5% of the general population. As the name implies, with MOH, the frequency of headaches increases thanks to overusing medications.
With our help, you can avoid unwelcome complications like these with the right medications and dosing.
About 70% of migraine sufferers cite stress as a key trigger for migraines. The role that stress plays in your overall health is a big one, and researchers are continually uncovering new links.
Suffice it to say that stress can have a cardiometabolic effect on your body that creates an environment where conditions like migraine are more active.
So, stress reduction is one of the biggest keys to reducing migraine frequency and severity. While it may be hard to reduce stress in the world around you, mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing are proven strategies for reducing internal stress.
Lifestyle modifications should always have a seat at the table when we discuss treating and managing chronic migraines. And by lifestyle modifications, we mean building healthier habits that steer you away from migraines.
For example, research has shown that the following reduces migraines:
When you cultivate healthier habits, your body responds accordingly and issues like chronic migraines tend to release their hold.
If you’d like to learn more about how to stay one step ahead of chronic migraines, we invite you to call our Houston, Texas, office at 832-912-7777, or use our online form to request an appointment.