10 Common Migraine Triggers

As a sufferer of the occasional migraine, I know that I personally am curious to try and find the reason why it was triggered to begin with. A few ways to avoid a migraine (or at least figure out it's cause) is to speak to your doctor, keep a diary of when it happens and what activities occurred just before it, and knowing what causes them. Here is a list of common migraine triggers.

1. Loud or sudden noises

Whether you're at a concert or a firetruck whizzes by on your way home, loud and sudden noises are common migraine triggers. There are some that you simply can't avoid, but if you can help it, try to keep yourself out of situations where you know there may be some blaring noises or music.

2. Brightness

Things like bright lights, reflected sunlight, glare, etc. are also known to be common migraine triggers. Small maneuvers like wearing sunglasses while driving and making sure shades are drawn on especially sunny days should help.

3. Smells

Strong smells like cigarette smoke, perfume, paint, cleaning products, or even certain flowers can trigger an instant migraine for some people. You can do things like avoid smoking areas or talk to your co-worker about his cologne.

4. Food

There's a few foods out there that can trigger migraines, depending on what you can personally handle and how much you have. But some common ones among sufferers are artificial sweeteners (like what you find in diet sodas and light yogurt), foods that contain MSG, alcohol (especially wine), and caffeine (either too much or withdrawing). Also, fasting or skipping meals can cause headache pains.

5. Emotions

Emotions like stress, depression, and anxiety can bring on a migraine almost instantly. If you can avoid situations that you know will stress you out or make you anxious, try to do so.

6. Sleep

Whether you get too little or even too much, this can be a common migraine trigger. With some experimenting and keeping of a journal, you can try to find a happy medium that makes your body happy.

7. Hormone fluctuations

Mostly affecting women when it comes to migraines are hormone fluctuations. This can include birth control pills, hormone therapy, and menstrual cycles. Nowadays, there's many choices regarding birth control, including some that lets you skip or regulate your period, and that might help.

8. Physical exertion

Sudden and intense physical activity can also trigger a migraine. This can include exercise, sexual activity, and even bowel movements. With the help of your doctor, you can figure out ways to still keep yourself physically active, but deal with the triggers that bother you most.

9. Motion

This tends to affect those with motion sickness more so than the average person, but nonetheless, a car ride, train ride, or plane ride could send your head reeling in pain. What could help a little is making sure to sit by a window, have cool air blowing at you, and make use of things like SeaBand bracelets or medication for motion sickness.

10. Medications

There are certain medications that can trigger migraines because they affect the way your blood flows. Also, overuse of headache medicines can also trigger migraines for some reason, causing what's called 'rebound headaches'.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/identifying-and-avoiding-migraine-triggers

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/migraine-headache/DS00120

http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/migraine-trigger.html

Personal Experience