Let’s talk about triggers! I’m not talking about the things that make you want to throw your coffee mug across the room—although we’ve all had those moments! I mean the sneaky little gremlins that make your migraine attacks go from zero to “I need a dark room and a prayer” faster than you can say, “Not again!”
Triggers are caused when there is an imbalance of chemicals in your brain, and cause a disturbance, sending pain signals like crazy! Although we all might have different triggers, we all might share these few. A good way to find out what your triggers are is to keep a diary. Right before your attack rolled in…take note of what you ate, drank, weather, even lighting in certain places. Did you get a migraine attack every time at a certain location? Is it every time you eat a certain meal?
There are ways to keep track of it and try to avoid an attack as much as possible. There are apps to help you out with this as well. One I have been using for years is Migraine Buddy. It tracks your food, medication, and weather. At the end of the month, it gives you a full report, and it will help you understand your triggers better.
Here are some of the most common ones among the billions of people living with migraine disease.
- Stress.
This one is probably somewhere at the top. According to the American Migraine Foundation, about 70% of Americans associate stress as a trigger to their migraine. Of course adding the worry of when the next onset is on the horizon.
Tip to fight back: Write down all your worries. Address them one at a time, taking one step at a time rather than trying to tackle everything at once. Incorporating some exercise or yoga stretching can also be a great way to relax. And if it feels overwhelming, remember that seeking help is always an option.
- Weather.
Sudden weather changes, in atmospheric pressure or even just seasonal changes will cause a bad migraine attack.
Tip to fight back: We can’t change the weather! Keeping a weather app on your phone helps alert you to upcoming weather changes. This just helps you be prepared if the change in pressure affects you. So if it’s too hot, stay inside and keep hydrated(dehydration will cause an attack)
- Change in Sleep pattern.
Not sleeping enough or sleeping too much can absolutely trigger a migraine attack. Sleep is when your body and mind rest. It is it’s time to recharge and regenerate. If you don’t have a regular sleep schedule, your brain can’t relax, and you are opening the door for migraine to walk right in.
Tip to fight back: Put yourself on a bedtime routine. Try to go to bed around the same time and eliminate mind stimulators such as the TV and phone. Telling you to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep is nearly impossible because life gets hard. But that is the number you should aim for.
- What you eat and drink.
Words like fermented, aged, processed, and cured you should stay away from. Aged cheese is a major major one. But lunch meats, hot dogs, too much chocolate or ingredients like aspartame(sweeteners) have all been identified as triggers. You might hate me for this…..but red wine is the one to cause a migraine attack. Caffeine is a bad word too. Coffee, tea, soda. Yup. that’s a no. Although some use it to fight off an attack. I have and it has worked, many times.
Tips to fight back: As far as the food, keeping a food diary is a big one. That way you can see what you ate that day and see if there is a recurring pattern. A discussion with your doctor would also be ideal to find a good diet. Here is a list of foods that have been found to be triggers. Keeping the same time eating habits keeps things running smoothly. STAY HYDRATED! Not saying this is the cause…but a lack of hydration can certainly contribute to migraine pain. I know those Stanley cups are all the rage. There are many affordable ones like Simple Modern are amazing. Carry one!
- Medical Overuse.
There are medications you can take too much of that can CAUSE a migraine attack. Especially the acute medications such as Fioricet. They need to be taken with caution.
Tips to fight back: Stay on the recommended dose by your doctor. Talk to them and let them know that it’s either not working or you need a change in the medication. Keep open communication.
- Hormones.
Changes in your hormone levels during your menstrual cycle. This makes women 3x more likely to get migraine than men. It is known as the menstrual migraine, a type of migraine. And in my opinion, the worst type I live with. It occurs only during our cycle with the changing levels of estrogen and progesterone.
Tips to fight back: If you know of one, please share. The only option for me has been going to the ER to get what they call the “migraine cocktail” and steroids. I know the use of birth control has been used to try and control the levels but the birth control has also caused severe headaches so make sure you talk to specialists about this one. I wish I had more but I, myself am currently trying to find the answer and have been for years. The trick I found was to try and stay ahead but I just never know when it will hit.
- Light.
Let there NOT be light! Light sensitivity is definitely a big trigger. When it’s natural light or fluorescent lighting. It tends to cause your head to hurt. Especially if it’s flickering, almost strobe-like.
Tips to fight back: You know that 80s song “I wear my sunglasses at night”…that is my theme song because I am always wearing my Tifosi sunglasses. My best tip is to carry some type of glasses just in case the artificial light bothers you, or you just so happened to be face to face with a flickering bulb. The glasses help dim out the lights. If you are more prone to light sensitivity, there are specially migraine eye glasses that help filter so much of that triggering light out. I have a few pairs and they are very effective.
Read up on Zenni migraine lenses here
Ok so I think I covered as much as I could remember. Feel free to add your tips and tricks into the comments. I would love to hear what you do to keep your triggers under control.
-g
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