14 Migraine Triggers You Should Know About
(Photos: iStock Photo / Corbis / Getty Images)
Managing migraines can make you feel a lot like Goldilocks, looking for just the right amount of sleep or exercise — or porridge, if that would help keep the throbbing away. Far from being a fairy tale, trying to find the right balance in life is all too real.
Research has shown that habits such as too much or too little sleep and extreme exercise can trigger migraines, and the thinking has been that your best bet for managing migraines is to know your triggers and avoid them. Research published in Neurology found just how complex managing migraine triggers can be.
According to the study, more than 50 percent of people plagued by migraines with aura know of at least one stimulus that always or often triggers their attacks. Yet the researchers found that only one in 10 people who experienced migraines with aura developed a migraine after being exposed to one lone trigger.
Related: Home Remedies for Headache Treatment
"This is consistent with prior conceptions of migraine triggers, which surmise that the relationship of triggers to headaches was not one-to-one — rather, we believe triggers are multi-factorial," says Joshua M. Cohen, MD, MPH, an attending neurologist and headache fellowship director at the Headache Institute of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City. "In other words, exposure to a bright light may not trigger a migraine, but if you are exposed to a bright light as well as other triggers on the same day, such as a change in the weather and going too long without eating, you might get a migraine.”
Related: Soothing Scents to Ease Headache Pain
This means you may need to look at your triggers a little differently than you’re used to. It might be better to think of your triggers as individual risk factors for bringing on a migraine, says Robert Kaniecki, MD, director of the University of Pittsburgh Headache Center, chief of the headache division, and an assistant professor of neurology. Then figure out what your migraine threshold is — what combination of those aggravating circumstances it takes to produce a migraine attack for you.
Your Migraine Trigger Hit List
The list of potential migraine triggers is a long one, and the possible combinations that could add up to your migraine is even longer. But paying attention to the various triggers that are going on simultaneously can lead to better migraine control. Here are key migraine “risk factors” to be aware of:
Too much or too little sleep
Overeating or going too long without eating
Change in severity of stress levels
Excess caffeine or drastically reducing the amount you’re used to
Dehydration
Extreme exercise
Getting your period
Drinking alcohol
Eating certain foods
Smoking
Being in excessive heat
Lights
Experiencing neck pain
Certain odors, such as perfume
Related: Is Your Headache a Sign of Something Serious?
Some triggers are unavoidable — you can’t stop your period from coming or control the weather. But if you know that skipping exercise and drinking too much coffee when you have your period is sure to bring on a migraine, take steps to avoid the triggers that you can control.
The reason that managing migraines is so challenging, explains Dr. Kaniecki, is that there are likely multiple genetic forms of migraine and so many potential triggers. Stress, female hormonal changes, the weather, changes in your daily schedule, and sensory stimulation from fluorescent lights, loud noise, and strong odors can all impact a genetically predisposed nervous system in a way that results in a migraine. “To date, we have yet to identify the most common genetic variations responsible for migraine in the population,” Kaniecki says.
Related: 13 Things Not To Say To Someone With a Migraine
Though a migraine is complex, in simple terms, it just means that your brain is “hyperexcitable,” reacting at a lower threshold than it would in someone without migraine, says Dr. Cohen, and leading to an inflammatory process that produces headaches. This hyperexcitable state is inherited, but there are likely hundreds, maybe even thousands, of genes that produce migraines.
Lifestyle Steps for Preventing Migraines
Healthy lifestyle habits can help keep a hyperexcitable brain on an even keel. In addition to looking for trigger patterns, help to prevent attacks by:
Eating meals and snacks on a regular schedule
Sleeping on a regular schedule — avoid napping and sleeping in on weekends
Staying well hydrated — that means 40 to 60 ounces of water a day
Exercising regularly
"All of these factors have been shown to improve the course for patients with migraine," Cohen says, "and are an important part of migraine management."
By Karen Appold for Everyday Health; Reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD
More On Everyday Health:
113 Pounds Lost: Pamela Kicked the Extra Pounds – and Her Meds – to the Curb
5 Surprising Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol with Avocados!
Do You Really Need to Walk 10,000 Steps a Day?
Is Your Digestive Pain Gas or Something Else?
This article originally appeared on EverydayHealth.com: 14 Migraine Triggers You Should Know About
