What Triggers Migraine

Have you been attack by migraines?  What are the reasons that triggers for the attack? There are factors why some people experience migraines. These could be by certain foods they eat, strong perfumes, flickering lights, sudden change of weather and other environmental factors that can trigger the attack. But not everyone has the same triggers and not every time and that’s make the migraine trigger a frustrating prey to hunt down. However, there is a general agreement about the most common triggers, be aware of the following and it help reduce your headache frequency.

A. Food triggers
Here's a partial list of major food triggers, according to the National headache Foundation:

• Ripened cheeses (such as cheddar, Emmentaler, Stilton, Brie, and Camembert)
• Chocolate
• Marinated, pickled, or fermented food
• Foods that contain nitrites or nitrates (bacon, hot dogs) or MSG (soy sauce, meat tenderizers, seasoned salt)
• Sour cream
• Nuts, peanut butter
• Sourdough bread
• Broad beans, lima beans, fava beans, snow peas
• Figs, raisins, papayas, avocados, red plums
• Citrus fruits
• Excessive amounts (more than 2 cups total) of caffeinated beverages such as tea, coffee, or cola
• Alcohol (including red wine and beer)

B. Menstruation

Menstrual cycle is a major trigger for many women. It occurs a few days before or during their period or for some women during ovulation. This is due to drop in estrogen, that is why for women near in menopause stage may experience an increasing attack of migraines.

C. Your environment
For some people, strong perfume, weather condition like the heat of the sun is very elemental to trigger their migraine. It can also by flickering lights, a movie screen in a darkened theater.

D. Stress

Don’t you know that stress is considered the most common trigger for migraine? Anxiety, worry, shock and sadness can release certain brain chemicals that lead to a migraine headache.

Remember that triggers are different for everyone; you don’t need to avoid them but be aware of them. Not every trigger is a consistent trigger. Just keep track of the patterns over time then you should be able to make changes that will help you cope without having to sacrifice unnecessarily.