WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MIGRAINE TRIGGERS

ABOUT MIGRAINES
Everybody gets a headache at one time or another, but not everyone has a migraine headache. The difference lies in the intensity and duration of the pain. Being described as a neurological disorder or syndrome, migraines are best known for their disabling effect on the victim that is usually brought on by severe pain in the head making the individual feel like their head is about to explode. Throbbing, pulsating pain behind the eyes or around the ears is not uncommon. Vision problems such as double vision, blurred vision, wavy or squiggly lines, lights or blind spots describe what is called an “aura”, which sometimes precedes the migraine only to fade away when the painful headache begins.
Migraines have occurred in young people as well as the aged. It’s been documented as early as 18 months, although quite rare, but usually from age 12 with the peak ages of 15 to 55 being most common. Women suffer more of these awful headaches than men due to the hormonal changes during puberty, menstruation, perimenopause or menopause.

To make matters worse, the pain of migraines are usually accompanied by a collection of other symptoms like, the inability to sleep, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, cognitive difficulties in thinking or memory and a heightened sensitivity to light or sound. Depending on the person (as we are all different), migraines can be a mild sort or the life changing, debilitating type. Millions of people worldwide suffer this malady and unfortunately there is no absolute cure.

WHAT CAUSES A MIGRAINE?
The pathology of migraines has yet to be fully understood. Until then a couple of ways to approach the treatment of migraines are the use of drugs and or life style and behavior changes.
What causes a migraine has been the subject for countless studies and so far there is no clear cut answer. Migraines, however, have been noticed to occur at certain times and usually with the right stimulus known as a “trigger”. These triggers could be anything from everyday items or smells and even sounds. Because we are all individuals, not every trigger will affect everyone the same way, thus, a migraine may not develop when certain triggers are encountered.

MAJOR MIGRAINE TRIGGERS
There are many triggers for migraines, so let’s study a few major ones to get started:

1. Certain foods such as chocolate, nuts or peanut butter, fermented foods and ripened cheeses, marinated or pickled foods as well as meats containing nitrites or MSG. Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine or eating particular fruits such as figs, papaya, citrus, plums and avocados.
2. Menstruation can bring an attack either before or during the period and especially towards menopause. This is primarily due to fluctuations in estrogen.
3. Your surroundings. Flashing lights or sunlight through leaves, or places common in everyday use such as offices, department stores, train stations, grocery stores, etc. Controlling your environment and creating activity patterns are a great help in preventing migraines.
4. By far the most common trigger is stress. Being highly responsive emotionally can easily bring about a migraine. Shock, worry, anxiety and sadness can produce migraines and ironically can cause a migraine only after the relief of the initial stress.
5. Sleep deprivation. Too little sleep or waking often during the night gives poor quality to sleeping. Improved sleep habits have proved a shorter duration and lesser amount of migraine headaches.
6. Skipping a meal or fasting. Lowered blood sugar and the release of stress related hormones can bring on an attack. It is recommended that migraine sufferers not fast for prolonged periods of time.
7. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener has been linked to migraines.
8. Changing weather conditions. Low pressure systems often bring about headaches and if you are prone to migraines, may initiate one.
9. Salty or spicy foods are also suspected of triggering migraines.

Keep in mind that this list is just a guideline of some of the most common triggers of migraine. Not all of them may affect you the same way as others do. Sometimes a combination of two triggers would bring on a migraine where if it were only the one factor, no migraine would start
For people who suffer migraines, the ability to track down and be knowledgeable about what triggers their particular migraine can be very beneficial to help prevent the onset of a migraine headache. It’s frustrating work and also very encouraging. When experiencing a migraine, keeping a diary or journal of the activities done, the foods eaten or the places frequented would give a good start in trying to identify the possible triggers. Once the triggers can be identified, care should be taken to avoid them in order to reduce the frequency of migraines headaches. Try this method and see if it works for you.

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