As you know, migraine is the most common cause of episodic headache in world. Most of the young adults in the world are suffering from migraine. Among them most are women. It affects their day to day activities. So it has become a big problem nowadays. What if you know that there are some triggering factors which aggravate the migraine? Then you can avoid those triggers. Are there any migraine triggers? Yes, there are migraine triggers which aggravate the migraine.
What are migraine triggers
Migraine triggers are some factors that can aggravate migraine. Some people complain that they are having migraine attacks even with treatments. It is due to these triggers. Let’s discuss this 5 migraine triggers you should know.
1. Food
Several food items have bad impact on triggering migraine attacks. If you are having migraine you should think twice on your diet. Because, according to researchers, diet has a major impact on migraine. Fasting was the most frequent diet related trigger reported.
Actually the ingredients in food are the reason behind this. Caffeine is high on the list. So, any food containing caffeine can cause migraine.
Chocolate is frequently associated with migraine. Because chocolate contains both caffeine and beta-phenylethylamine. Both of them can trigger migraine.
Some people complain that Cheese can precipitate migraine. It is true. Because cheese contains tyramine. Tyramine is another migraine trigger.
Apart from that aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG) shows the evidence of triggering migraine. They are food additives. So any food containing these additives may cause migraine.
Following is a list of food items that can trigger migraine;
- Avocado
- Banana
- Bacon
- Canned meat
- Cola
- Dates
- Doughnut
- Onions
- Sausage
- Soups
- Tea
- Yogurt
2. Alcohol
Alcohol is one of most common migraine triggers. As alcohol is having diuretic effect it will lead your body to dehydrate. So it causes headache in any person if you are having migraine or not. But if you are having migraine it would make it worse. Because several compounds in alcohol can trigger migraine.
Red wine is a popular migraine trigger. No one is quite sure why red wine may trigger migraine. But some thinks that Tannins in red wine is responsible for this. Some studies show that tannins can boost the amount of serotonin inside your brain. Changes in serotonin levels can lead to migraine.
3. Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCP)
Women have a high chance to experience migraine headache than men. It is mainly due to female sex hormones. Usually estrogen plays a major role than progesterone. We believe that low estrogen can trigger migraine. During pregnancy, estrogen level rise, mothers experience less migraine attacks. Many women get severe migraine headaches during menstruation according to researches.
Combined oral contraceptive pills can worse migraine. It is due to this hormones imbalance. Most of women who experience frequent migraine attacks are taking combined oral contraceptive pills.
4. Stress
Nearly half of Americans living with migraine also having Anxiety/ Stress. It has become a big problem nowadays.
There are several research studies about the relationship between stress and migraine. Some indicate that ‘relieving’ from high levels of stress are more significant migraine triggers than stress itself.
5. Traveling
Unfortunately, traveling is a notorious migraine trigger. Most of people love to travel. But researchers have found that traveling can trigger migraine.
One of main reason is changes in your normal routine and environment. Weather, temperature and climate changes are associated with triggering migraine. Or else there may be stressful situations. Motion sickness during traveling also can trigger migraine headaches.
Other Migraine Triggers
Apart from above 5 migraine triggers there are plenty of other migraine triggers. But they are uncommon.
- Weather changes
- Smell
- Some overused medications
- Sexual activities
- Bad health condition
- Unhygienic practices
Finally, as a summary, there are several migraine triggers. Food, alcohol, stress, hormone pills and traveling are high on the list. By knowing them you can easily prevent them. Then it is easy to prevent migraine.