Migraine triggers are anything that exacerbates migraine attacks, such as environmental triggers or changes in your body like skipping meals.
Your healthcare provider can assist in finding your triggers by asking you to keep a headache diary and note any patterns in the symptoms. This may help identify any triggers.
1. Stress
Migraine is a recurrent neurological condition characterized by moderate to severe headaches accompanied by nausea, light or sound sensitivity and emotional changes that can last hours to days and severely impair quality of life. Migraines can typically be diagnosed through extensive patient history review and physical exam and are most frequently caused by stressors like hormonal fluctuations, specific food items or environmental influences.
Locating triggers is the first step toward finding relief. Although some triggers cannot be avoided entirely, you can take measures to manage them effectively.
One way to identify migraine triggers is by keeping a diary or journal. Keep track of everything you eat and drink each day, along with any symptoms during migraine attacks, in a journal. Look out for any patterns such as frequent attacks after skipping meals or menstruation cycles or changes in weather that trigger attacks so you can adjust your routine appropriately.
2. Changes in the weather
Weather changes can trigger migraines and headaches. Storms, extreme heat, high humidity and fluctuations in barometric pressure may all trigger migraines in some people, while drastic temperature shifts may lead to fluid loss and dehydration – both potential triggers for people living with migraines.
Experts agree that weather changes may trigger the prodromal phase of migraine headaches, including symptoms like food cravings, yawning and mood shifts. When this occurs as a result of changes in weather, it may give the appearance that these pre-migraine symptoms were the source of their pain instead.
Keep a headache or migraine diary to monitor any weather-related triggers that could be aggravating your headache or migraine, and share this data with your physician. Other common triggers may include skipping meals or hunger, eating foods with additives like histamine and MSG, alcohol or cured meats; those with a history of sleep apnea may also be sensitive to certain weather patterns and should speak to healthcare providers about ways they can improve their sleeping habits.
3. Food
Migraine sufferers tend to be sensitive to certain foods. Aged cheeses, salty foods, chocolate and certain medications (including the migraine preventive ibuprofen ), caffeine,MSG cured meats second hand smoke as well as food additives like Aspartame may all trigger attacks in migraine sufferers.
Keep a headache diary as a way of pinpointing possible food triggers of migraine attacks. If any patterns emerge, avoid that food for four weeks before gradually reintroducing small quantities and seeing whether symptoms resurface.
Many patients also report that taking painkillers to treat their headaches can actually worsen them – this condition is known as Medication Overuse Headache. If you frequently suffer from headaches, speak to your GP about alternatives. They will advise on an effective dose of over-the-counter pain relief. Depending on the severity of symptoms they may also prescribe medication from their practice if necessary and offer other forms of prevention such as yoga.
4. Drink
Drinks may trigger migraine headaches in some individuals. Red wine, in particular, is often the main alcohol trigger; however, beverages containing caffeine or alcohol may also play a part. Avoiding such beverages may help decrease migraine frequency in many cases.
Consuming plenty of fluids, particularly water, is the best way to prevent dehydration which is one of the leading causes of migraines. Furthermore, any beverage containing artificial sweeteners like Aspartame or other diet products could trigger migraines in certain individuals.
One of the earliest studies of migraine triggers identified menstruation, stress and the glare of light as the most frequent migraine triggers for women; food and alcoholic beverages followed as frequent triggers for migraine attacks in both genders. Furthermore, many women experience multiple triggers at once such as stress, bright lights, skipping meals or weather changes that cause their migraine attacks; therefore it’s essential that individuals identify their own migraine triggers and find effective management techniques.
