Migraine Triggers

Migraine Triggers

Everyone has their personal triggers and experiences with Migraines. Listed below are some common ones that may help you begin to identify some of yours.

If you experience the signs and symptoms of migraine with aura, such as temporary vision loss or floating spots or zigzag lines in your field of vision, see your doctor immediately to rule out more serious conditions, such as stroke or retinal tear. Once these conditions have been ruled out, future migraines with aura can be considered not to be a sign of a more serious condition and won't require a visit to your doctor, unless you notice unusual or worsening symptoms.

The psychological effects of pain amplify the trauma, contributing to depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and suicide. "Many people in severe pain from terminal illness fear their pain more than they fear death," says Scott Fishman, chief of pain medicine at the University of California-Davis.

Environmental

Weather fluctuations
Fluorescent lighting
Electrical "pollution"
Allergies
Lack of food
Lack of sleep
Strong or unusual odors
Perfumes
Colognes
Gasoline
Bright lights
Loud noises
Changes in weather or altitude
Flying
Cigarette Smoke
Paint
New Carpet, flooring, etc.
Household cleaners
Newspapers, magazines (especially those with perfumed inserts), etc.
Pesticides
Alcohol
Being tired, stressed or depressed or the let-down after a stressful event
Changes in sleeping patterns or sleeping time
Missing meals or fasting
Menstrual periods, birth control pills or hormones
Intense physical activity, including sexual activity

Foods

Certain foods (see the list below), especially those that contain tyramine, sodium nitrate or phenylalanine
Aged, canned, cured or processed meat, including bologna, game, ham, herring, hot dogs, pepperoni and sausage
Aged cheese
Alcoholic beverages, especially red wine
Aspartame
Avocados
Beans, including pole, broad, lima, Italian, navy, pinto and garbanzo
Brewer's yeast, including fresh yeast coffee cake, donuts and sourdough bread
Caffeine (in excess)
Canned soup or bouillon cubes
Chocolate, cocoa and carob
Cultured dairy products, such as buttermilk and sour cream
Figs
Lentils
Meat tenderizer
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Nuts and peanut butter
Onions
Papaya
Passion fruit
Pea pods
Pickled, preserved or marinated foods, such as olives and pickles, and some snack foods
Raisins
Red plums
Sauerkraut
Seasoned salt
Snow peas
Soy sauce

Emotional

Hormonal fluctuations
Giving birth
Weather fluctuations
Stress
Lack of food
Lack of sleep
Changes in weather or altitude
Being tired, stressed or depressed or the let-down after a stressful event
Changes in sleeping patterns or sleeping time
Missing meals or fasting
Menstrual periods
Birth control pills
Hormone Replacement Therapies
Intense physical activity, including sexual activity

For a lot of women who suffer from hormonal fluctuation migraines - being pregnant seems to end them while pregnant.

Risk Factors

Family history.
Many people with migraines have a parent with migraine.

Gender.
Women are three times as likely to have migraines as men are.

Hormonal changes in women.
Migraine may worsen or change during menstruation, pregnancy or menopause. Migraine may also worsen if you take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.

(c) 2007-2008, Theda Foster, CEEMP, All rights reserved.
All information provided on this site is for informational purposes only.
It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness, disease, or disorder.