Could These Be Your Migraine Triggers?

Knowing what trigger your migraine headache will definitely help you to control your migraine attack or even get rid of it for good.

Typically, Migraine triggers can be classified into the following factors:

1) Lifestyle Factors
i) Depression
ii) Stress
iii) Anxiety

2) Environmental Factors
i) Loud noise
ii) Strong odors
iii) Air Pollution
iv) Weather changes
v) High altitude and air travel
vi) Bright or flickering lights

3) Social Habits
i) Alcohol
ii) Secondhand Smoke
iii) Smoking

4) Nutritional Deficiencies
i) Low blood sugar (hypoglycemina)
ii) Vitamin/mineral deficiency

5) Medications and Recreational Drugs
i) Recreational drugs
ii) Cardiovascular drugs
iii) Decongestants
iv) Diet Pills
v) Painkillers

6) Physiological Factors
i) Hormonal Changes

7) Foods and Food Additives
i) Chocolate
ii) Nuts
iii) Beans
iv) Onions
v) Artificial Sweeteners
vi) Salt
vii) Gamma-aminobutyric acid
viii) Citrus fruits
ix) Tyramine
x) Sulfites
xi) Nitrites and nitrates
xii) Amines
xiii) Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
xiv) Caffeine
xv) Ice Cream

It was found that stress and dietary triggers have been the major trigger in many cases.

Exactly how these factors activate the migraine headaches has been a mystery. However, the common speculation amongs scientist was that the triggers actually causes an irregular pattern of electrical activity in the cortex (the outer layer of the brain).

Different migraine sufferer are found to be sensitive to different triggers and many of the sufferers are not even bothered by any triggers at all. One of the best way to find out what actually trigger your migraine headache is to keep a diary to jot down when the migraine headache occur and what circumstances under which it occurred.