Migrane Triggers
Experts have identified many triggers that may activate attacks. "You can't do anything about weather, which is a trigger in as many as 50 per cent of patients, but you can do something about lack of sleep or skipping meals," says headache specialist Dr Stewart Tepper.
Tracking your migraines in writing is essential, so that you can predict and even prevent attacks. Whenever one strikes, note the date, time it starts and ends, intensity, symptoms, plus food you've eaten and anything else you suspect may have triggered it. Women should also note where they are in their monthly cycle. List any medications you take or other strategies you try, and the results. A detailed diary will help your doctor decide if you're a good candidate for preventive therapies.
Common triggers
Hormones: For many women, falling oestrogen levels play the biggest role, so a migraine is more likely to strike around the start of a period. Interestingly, migraines often disappear during pregnancy, and reduce in frequency after menopause, says Dr Stephen Silberstein, director of the Jefferson Headache Centre at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Food: Chocolate and aged cheese such as cheddar, Brie and Camembert are among the best-known dietary triggers, but some people find a variety of other foods, including processed meats, seeds and foods with monosodium glutamate (MSG), can cause problems.
Alcohol: Alcohol dilates blood vessels, and may contribute to migrane on that basis, but the culprit could also be the congeners (impurities from fermentation) found in red wine and bourbon, long known to cause headaches.
Caffeine: It's a treatment and a trigger. Many migraine treatments, such as Excedrin, contain caffeine, which constricts painful blood vessels. But caffeine withdrawal and overuse can also cause pain.
Environment: Humidity, extreme heat or cold, and changes in weather, temperature or barometric pressure can all be triggers, along with bright or flashing lights, perfumes or chemical odours, pollution and changes in altitude.
Tension: You may have an spisode during or after a stressful situation. "Stress-reducing techniques, such as biofeedback or relaxation therapy, are very useful for prevention," Tepper says. A late night or any change in your sleep patterns also could provoke an attack, as can skipping meals or fasting.
Extracted from Reader's Digest January 2006
Tracking your migraines in writing is essential, so that you can predict and even prevent attacks. Whenever one strikes, note the date, time it starts and ends, intensity, symptoms, plus food you've eaten and anything else you suspect may have triggered it. Women should also note where they are in their monthly cycle. List any medications you take or other strategies you try, and the results. A detailed diary will help your doctor decide if you're a good candidate for preventive therapies.
Common triggers
Hormones: For many women, falling oestrogen levels play the biggest role, so a migraine is more likely to strike around the start of a period. Interestingly, migraines often disappear during pregnancy, and reduce in frequency after menopause, says Dr Stephen Silberstein, director of the Jefferson Headache Centre at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Food: Chocolate and aged cheese such as cheddar, Brie and Camembert are among the best-known dietary triggers, but some people find a variety of other foods, including processed meats, seeds and foods with monosodium glutamate (MSG), can cause problems.
Alcohol: Alcohol dilates blood vessels, and may contribute to migrane on that basis, but the culprit could also be the congeners (impurities from fermentation) found in red wine and bourbon, long known to cause headaches.
Caffeine: It's a treatment and a trigger. Many migraine treatments, such as Excedrin, contain caffeine, which constricts painful blood vessels. But caffeine withdrawal and overuse can also cause pain.
Environment: Humidity, extreme heat or cold, and changes in weather, temperature or barometric pressure can all be triggers, along with bright or flashing lights, perfumes or chemical odours, pollution and changes in altitude.
Tension: You may have an spisode during or after a stressful situation. "Stress-reducing techniques, such as biofeedback or relaxation therapy, are very useful for prevention," Tepper says. A late night or any change in your sleep patterns also could provoke an attack, as can skipping meals or fasting.
Extracted from Reader's Digest January 2006
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