Migraine is a neurological condition in which pain-sensitive blood vessels in the head become sensitive, often due to stress, hormonal shifts, specific foods or environmental influences.
Every migraine sufferer has different triggers for their migraine attacks; keeping a headache diary can help identify yours. Common triggers include changes in weather, aged cheeses, salty or processed foods, skipping meals, artificial sweeteners and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Certain medications like anti-seizure drugs or migraine medication may also set off migraine attacks.
1. Changes in weather
Weather changes can be uncontrollable, yet drastic seasonal or temperature shifts can set off migraine attacks in certain individuals. A change in air pressure during storms, for example, can alter how blood vessels dilate and contract within your head causing pain.
Dehydration (especially when temperatures are hot and humid), stress, changes to sleep patterns or foods like cured meats, chocolate, artificial sweeteners or caffeine may all play a part in creating migraine attacks at certain times of year. Maintaining a migraine diary will help identify early warning signs.
Migraine headaches are typically the result of multiple triggers, including genetic susceptibility, hormones, food, stress, light and sound disruptions as well as sleep disruptions. Recognizing your personal set of triggers will give you greater control and help limit headache attacks each week; for more information on this subject speak with your physician or visit a migraine website.
2. Changes in sleep patterns
Sleep and migraines have an intricate relationship, one which can be affected by several factors including amount and quality of restful slumber, diet, hormones and stress levels.
Skip meals or feel overwhelmed, this could trigger migraines. Other people report specific foods as potential migraine triggers; chocolate, aged cheeses, fermented products and cured meats have all been reported as being migraine triggers, along with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, caffeine and strong smells being known migraine inducers. Insufficient sleep has also been reported as being responsible. Furthermore, changes in barometric pressure has been linked with migraines for certain individuals.
Hormonal changes such as those experienced during menstruation or pregnancy can also serve as migraine triggers, and keeping a migraine diary may help identify them. Steps such as biofeedback, relaxation therapy, exercise and meditation may help manage stress related to these triggers – for more help managing migraines please visit AMF resource library.
3. Changes in your diet
Foods may trigger migraines in certain individuals. Fermented or pickled foods, aged cheeses, processed and cured meats (such as hot dogs and lunch meats), certain preservatives and certain additives can all act as migraine triggers; eating more fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins has proven effective at relieving migraines in many instances.
Keep a food diary to help identify potential triggers. For instance, if migraines appear when eating chocolate, keeping track of symptoms might reveal that cravings were an early warning sign that led to headaches.
Changes in diet to exclude suspected migraine triggers may help you identify whether they are indeed responsible for your migraines. Give it two weeks without including suspected triggers before gradually reintroducing each one and monitoring how your body responds. Many of our patients find that avoiding foods containing tyramine (like nuts and legumes) and MSG helps decrease migraine frequency.
4. Stress
Understanding your individual migraine triggers is key to finding relief, and keeping a headache diary may be useful in pinpointing these triggers and developing an effective coping strategy.
Research demonstrates that stress can trigger migraine attacks for approximately 70% of those living with the condition. While not every stressful event will directly cause one, your daily stress level could contribute to chronic attacks of migraine.
Hormonal changes during menstruation or pregnancy, and food stressors like aged cheese, processed food like hot dogs and lunch meat, food additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), skipping meals or overeating caffeine may all play a part in migraine triggers for certain women. Other medications, including vasodilators like nitroglycerin or calcium channel blockers like Verelan can also exacerbate migraine symptoms; we offer various preventive medication treatments to decrease migraine frequency and severity for our migraine patients.
