Hand Warming for Migraine Headache Relief

Many people with migraine headaches have discovered that if they warm their hands artificially by putting them in warm water, holding them close to a fire, etc. that they can end their migraines much faster than usual. This method can work, but it is less effective than learning how to warm your hands from the "inside" rather than the "outside". Once you gain the skill it will be easy to warm your hands with your mind by thinking the phrase, "warming my hands".

As with the other skills, you must have learned this "hand warming skill" before you need it. It is not hard to learn but it DOES TAKE PRACTICE. Also, it is here that you will really learn the meaning of "letting go". Because, if you "try" to warm your hands you won't be able to. In fact, your hands will get colder. Strange but true. The very act of "trying" interrupts relaxation, but by letting go and working in tandem with the body you can "influence" the body to relax more and thereby warm your hands. If you have access to a thermometer, use the scale below as a guide.

Stress Indicator
Below 79 degrees-chronic tension
80-90 degrees-mildly stressed
95-98 degrees-calm and relaxed

Your practice periods should last at least 15 minutes. Start your relaxation by, dropping your jaw and shoulders and breathing deeply and slowly for about 5 minutes. Then put your attention into your hands. Do this by "sensing" your hands from the inside. You can close your eyes and feel your hands. Feel them so acutely that if a minute speck of dust were to fall on them you would feel it. Keep "feeling your hands". Then imagine that your hands are in a bucket of warm water or held over a fire. You can feel them warming. Imagine feeling them warming. If it doesn't happen at first, don't worry. Just make sure you keep up this process for the 15 minute time period.

Another technique is to imagine that as you breathe out on each breath, that the warm air from your exhalation travels down your arms to your hands, like blowing on your hands on a cold morning. Do this practice for about 15 minutes. Your goal, for counteracting the dilation of the blood vessels which cause migraine is to get your hand temperature above 93 degrees. When your hands have reached this therapeutic temperature you will feel a pulsing sensation.

This is normal as it is the heart pumping blood into the relaxed and open blood vessels in your hands. This is a great marker to let you know your hands are warm even though you are not holding a thermometer. You can't and shouldn't carry the thermometer around with you at all times to check your hands, but you can gain an internal sense as to whether or not your hands are warm (holding your finger tips up to your face is another great way to tell if they are warm or cold). It is also something you can focus on when you practice warming your hands.

Along with your regular 15 minute practice time try warming your hands at other times during the day. While driving, watching TV, walking down the street, in a conversation with another person. This can be a hidden way to be taking care of yourself while you are in the midst of the activities of daily life. Also, when you have your hands warm you are less likely to get a migraine. It also feels good to be relaxed and comfortable inside your body.

If you can't quite get there yet, keep practicing. One day it will "just happen" for you, usually when you let go. You may also discover that "letting go" doesn't feel precisely as you had imagined. Once you gain the skill to warm your hands well, it is important to keep practicing the skill.

The warmer you have your hands the less likely you are to have a headache and the easier it is for you to warm your hands the better you will do when you have a headache. So, what do you do if you get a headache? This is the time to evoke your skill in warming your hands. It will be harder to warm your hands when you have a headache than when you don't because your body already has the headache reaction started. But you can reverse this headache reaction by warming your hands. It will help get rid of the headache.