Habits such as too much or too little sleep and extreme exercise can trigger migraines. The best way to manage migraines is to know the most common triggers and avoid them. A trigger doesn’t always cause a migraine, and your triggers may change over time.
In addition, there is the phenomenon of “multifactorial” causes of migraine. This means that you may be sensitive to several triggers or a combination of them. For some migraine sufferers, a sum of aggravating circumstances is required to cause a migraine attack.
The main migraine triggers
The list of potential migraine triggers is long. And the possible combinations are them even longer. But by paying attention to the different triggers individually, you can have better control of your migraine.
Here are the top 14 “risk factors” for migraine to consider:
1 Too much or not enough sleep
2 Eating too much or going too long without eating
3 Changing the importance of stress
4 Drastically increase or decrease the amount of caffeine you are used to
5 Dehydration
6 Extreme physical exercise
7 Getting your period
8 Alcohol consumption
9 Eat certain foods: chocolate, cheese, meats
10 Smoking
11 Excessive Heat
12 Strong Lights
13 Neck Pain
14 Certain odors, such as perfume
Pay attention to what you can control
Some triggers are unavoidable. You can’t stop your period from coming or control how long it lasts. But if you know that doing strenuous exercise or drinking too much coffee when you’re on your period can lead to a migraine, take steps to avoid triggers you can control. Managing migraines is very difficult. Indeed, there are multiple forms of migraines and many potential triggers. Stress, changes in female hormones, climate, changes in your daily schedule, stimulation from lamps, noise and strong smells can all impact a nervous system.
Lifestyle Steps to Prevent Migraines
Healthy lifestyle habits can help keep a hyperexcitable brain in balance. In addition to looking for trigger patterns, you can work to prevent attacks by:
– Eating regular meals and snacks
– Sleeping on a regular schedule –
– Avoiding naps and sleeping in on weekends
– Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water
– Exercising (moderately) regularly
