What Can Trigger a Migraine Attack? An Overview of Common Triggers
A better understanding of migraine triggers is a key step in managing your condition. Discover some common migraine triggers like bright or flashing lights, loud noises, and certain foods.
Article Summary
Identifying personal migraine triggers can help manage and reduce attacks
- Migraine triggers can vary widely among individuals
- Common migraine triggers include specific foods, stress, sleep disturbances, bright or flashing lights, or hormonal changes
- Keeping a headache diary can help pinpoint individual migraine triggers
Article Index
As researchers are continuing to study the underlying causes of migraine, many individuals living with migraine find that certain triggers can set off a migraine attack. These triggers vary widely between people, and understanding them is key.
Common Migraine Triggers
Migraine attacks can happen in response to a stimulus or combination of stimuli that your brain perceives as disruptive. Not all people with migraine suffer from the same triggers, and triggers can differ individually.
Here's a breakdown of some of the commonly reported migraine triggers, including but not limited to, organized by category.
Dietary Triggers
Certain foods and beverages are considered migraine triggers, but it’s not the same for everyone.
Caffeine
Caffeine can be a double-edged sword. For some, small amounts may relieve early migraine symptoms. For others, intake of caffeine or withdrawal from caffeine can trigger an attack.
Alcohol
Alcohol, including wine and other spirits, can be a migraine trigger. Wine contains ingredients, such as sulfites and histamines, that can contribute to migraine attacks.
Foods
While doctors often recommend monitoring headache and pain symptoms after eating particular foods, it is difficult to identify true food triggers. According to the American Migraine Foundation, there are some foods that have been commonly reported as contributors to migraine attacks, including the 5 C’s (cheese, citrus, chocolate, coffee, cola), but no scientific studies have confirmed that any foods consistently increase the risk of a migraine attack.
The foods most commonly associated with migraine attacks contain specific chemicals that researchers used to believe could trigger migraine, such as tyramine (in cheeses), beta-phenylethylamine (in chocolate), and nitrates (in processed meats).
Migraine is a disease of hypersensitivity, and different factors add up to reach the threshold that can trigger a migraine attack.
Environmental Triggers
Your surroundings can trigger a migraine if your senses become overstimulated. Some common migraine attack triggers in your environment could be:
- Sight Stimuli: Bright lights, flickering screens, or harsh visual contrasts can lead to a migraine. This is especially common with screen exposure or driving at night.
- Sound Stimuli: Repetitive or loud sounds—like sirens, alarms, or crowded environments—may overload the brain’s sensory system.
- Smell Stimuli: Strong smells like perfumes, smoke, and certain foods have been reported by individuals with migraine as a possible trigger.
Your brain reacts to more than just light and sound—changes in the weather and seasonal triggers can also play a role:
- Barometric Pressure: Drops in atmospheric pressure are considered a trigger.
- Temperature Changes: Hotter or colder temperatures, bright sunlight, and lightning can all spark migraine attacks. Additionally, higher heat can lead to dehydration, which can also be a trigger.
Lifestyle Triggers
Stress: Emotional stress is one of the most frequently reported migraine triggers. Interestingly, some people even experience migraine after a stressful event—known as a “let-down” headache.
Sleep Disturbances: Irregular sleep schedules, poor-quality sleep, changes in sleep patterns, or even oversleeping can all lead to migraine symptoms.
Physical Exertion: For some people, exercise, especially when lengthy and/or leading to fatigue, can act as a trigger, especially if hydration or nutrition is inadequate.
Poor Posture: Spending a lot of time sitting without proper body alignment (like slouching or hunching) can be a migraine trigger.
Hormonal Triggers
Many women experience migraine in relation to hormonal changes. Some common changes that can cause a migraine attack:
- Menstrual Cycle: Migraine attacks often occur just before or during menstruation, when estrogen levels drop. This is known as menstrual migraine.
- Menopause: Hormonal fluctuations in perimenopause and early menopause can lead to more frequent or worsening migraine.
Identifying Triggers Is an Important Step
Understanding your unique set of migraine triggers is a powerful step toward reducing the frequency or intensity of migraine attacks. Migraine triggers don’t directly “cause” migraine, but they can possibly spark a migraine attack in individuals with an underlying susceptibility.
Everyone’s experience is different—what affects one person may not bother another. That’s why using a headache diary can be helpful in creating a personalized treatment strategy with your provider.
If you suspect you have migraine or are struggling to pinpoint your triggers, talk to your doctor. They can help guide you through next steps, which may include keeping a headache diary, making lifestyle adjustments, or exploring further diagnostics.
This article is just the beginning. Dive deeper into how this condition is treated and what might be right for you.
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