- Migraine has no known cure, so making diet and lifestyle changes is important to finding relief.
- Drinks that help headaches and migraine attacks include green smoothies, fruit-infused water, and milk.
- Avoid beverages with ingredients that trigger your migraine episodes.
Migraine is a neurological condition that affects about
While the symptoms of an episode can vary widely, a migraine attack is often significant enough to affect your everyday activities. There’s no cure for migraine, which makes treatment, lifestyle changes, and diet important ways to improve your quality of life.
In fact, some drinks may even be able to make a difference in your migraine symptoms and frequency of attacks.
Keep in mind that certain ingredients can trigger migraine attacks. So, before getting started with any of the drinks below, make sure they don’t contain any ingredients you know will worsen your symptoms.
And while these drinks can be a helpful way to ease a headache at home, they’re not a standard remedy or a substitute for traditional treatment and prevention strategies for migraine attacks. Instead, you should work with your doctor to develop a unique treatment plan.
Keep reading to see 12 of the best drinks for headaches and migraine attacks.
While too much caffeine may trigger migraine attacks in some people, it can be challenging to give up your daily cup of coffee. Swapping out your regular coffee for a decaf version can help.
As you make the switch, try to wean yourself off caffeinated coffee gradually. Otherwise, you could experience caffeine withdrawal — another possible trigger for migraine episodes.
Keep in mind that coffee companies are allowed to label their products as “decaf” with 97.5 percent of caffeine removed, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
This means you still may get as much as
If you’re looking for an alternative to decaf or regular coffee, with a happy medium in terms of caffeine content, consider brewing green tea.
An 8-oz. cup has between
Like black and oolong varieties, green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, and it’s touted for its antioxidants.
While green tea is said to help alleviate headaches, more research is needed to see if it can prevent migraine attacks for everyone.
Feverfew is an herb derived from a flowering plant that’s been found to potentially help alleviate symptoms of migraine attack, including pain, light sensitivity, and nausea, according to the
It can be brewed into a tea.
But it’s important to note that chewing on feverfew leaves can sometimes cause mouth ulcers, according to a
Ask your doctor before drinking feverfew tea for migraine attacks, especially if you have a history of allergies. Don’t take feverfew if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
Known for its analgesic effects, peppermint oil is commonly used in alternative medicine as a topical treatment for tension headaches, says the
There may be benefits to drinking peppermint in tea form and breathing in the aroma for a migraine episode — especially if you’re experiencing throbbing head pain.
According to a
Peppermint tea is caffeine-free, so you may drink it any time of day without fear that it could impact your sleep.
Another caffeine-free herbal tea that may provide relief for migraine episodes is ginger tea. This type of tea is made from the root of the plant, rather than its leaves.
In terms of treatment for migraine attacks, ginger is perhaps most helpful at reducing nausea and vomiting, according to the
Even if you aren’t currently experiencing these symptoms, you may appreciate the spicy taste as an alternative to other teas.
If you’re not eating enough leafy greens, you may be deficient in an important B vitamin called folate (vitamin B9). This might not be helping your migraine attacks.
A
That said, you may benefit from getting folate in the form of whole foods in a green smoothie. You can experiment with different greens, such as kale or spinach, along with berries and plant-based milk.
In addition to drinking other beverages, it’s important to drink enough water throughout the day. Doing so helps prevent a common trigger of migraine attacks: dehydration.
You can also prevent dehydration by drinking water before and after exercise, as well as more during warmer weather.
For people who don’t drink enough water because they find the flavor boring, fruit-infused water may be a tastier way to avoid the dehydration that could trigger a migraine attack.
Simply add chopped fresh fruit to a glass of water for added taste and a nutritional boost. Depending on the type of fruit you try, you may also gain additional benefits, such as vitamin C and other antioxidants.
Grape juice may have been one of your favorite childhood drinks, but potential benefits of this drink can last throughout your adulthood, too.
A 1/2-cup serving of grape juice contains about
Magnesium deficiency may be linked to irregular nerve transmission, which could play a role in migraine attacks.
Adult women need between
Getting the recommended amount of magnesium is also important in other body processes, including metabolism, cardiac function, muscle contractions, and more.
Orange juice is another drink that may help with headaches and migraine attacks, given its high magnesium content.
A 1/2-cup serving of orange juice contains about
If citrus fruits trigger migraine episodes for you, skip orange juice and try another drink on this list instead.
If you prefer tarter fruit juices, you may still be able to reap the benefits of magnesium by choosing a 1/2-cup serving of grapefruit juice.
Grapefruit juice contains about
According to a
As with orange juice, you should avoid grapefruit juice if citrus fruits trigger a migraine episode for you.
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is another nutrient that may help reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Drinking reduced-fat milk can help you reach the recommended daily value of vitamin B2, which is
In fact, a 1-cup serving of 2 percent milk has about 0.5 mg — this is almost 50 percent of the daily recommended amount for most people.
Migraine is a neurological condition with no known cure. However, making lifestyle and diet changes — including drinking certain beverages — may offer some relief from migraine attacks.
Tea and decaf coffee may reduce inflammation, while juices, milk, and green smoothies can deliver essential nutrients that may reduce migraine episodes.
Migraine triggers vary from person to person, and it’s important to avoid any ingredients that may worsen your symptoms. If any beverage causes a migraine attack or makes it more intense, stop drinking the beverage right away.
It’s important to note that beverages are not a substitute for mainstream migraine treatment.
Talk with your doctor if your migraine symptoms don’t improve. They may suggest further testing and other lifestyle changes you can make.