Identify Your Migraine Triggers

Imagine a world in which you could avoid a migraine, much like the person who’s allergic to peanuts can avoid a potentially life-threatening reaction. This comes down to understanding what acts as a trigger for the problem and doing everything in your power to avoid pulling that trigger.

For the many people around the world who have migraines, finding ways to control these debilitating headaches is a top priority, and trigger management plans often head the list.

Trigger Management — A Simple Concept That Delivers Results

One of the most important things to understand about migraines is that we don’t know exactly what causes these neurological disorders, which means there is no cure. 

Even though the exact cause-and-effect mechanism hasn’t been identified, researchers have made some headway in identifying certain risk factors and triggers that play no small roles in the problem.

There may be little that we can do about some aspects of migraines — for example, women are three times more likely to suffer from migraines than men. You can’t change this risk factor, but you do have some influence over stress, which is one of the most common triggers for migraines.

If you suffer from migraines, you should identify the things that seem to trigger your attacks so you can take steps to avoid them. 

Tasks such as keeping a headache diary in which you record things like what you ate, how you felt, and what you were doing before a migraine. With this information, try to figure out a trigger management plan that should reduce your headache frequency.

Common Triggers

Understanding that everyone’s triggers come from many sources, and you may have your own unique circumstances that trigger your migraines. That said, there are some triggers that millions of people with migraine share, including:

Stress

Stress, we want to come back to it as one of the most common triggers — nearly thousands with migraine list stress as a trigger. There's no shortage of stress these days, and people with migraine seem to be especially sensitive to stress.

Sleep

When it comes to your overall health and wellness, the importance of sleep is crucial.  This also includes migraines. Interrupted sleep and poor sleep patterns can often trigger migraines.

Certain Foods and Drinks

Foods that contain MSG, tannins in red wine, and caffeine are some examples of things that you eat or drink that may trigger migraines. Diet has a strong influence on migraines. That’s why it’s important to note what you ate before a headache to figure out whether some dietary changes may help reduce the attacks.

Weather Changes

Some people with migraine are especially sensitive to weather changes, so it’s worth noting the weather when you first start your headache diary.

This list is by no means comprehensive, as migraines can be triggered by a host of different conditions, from natural light to overusing certain medications. The trick is to figure out your triggers so a plan is in place to prevent your migraines from developing in the first place.

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