Migraine Triggers

Migraines can be really painful just ask anybody who has experienced it. In fact, it can be so incapacitating that more than 25 million Americans take a leave of absence in their companies just to cope up with migraines when they do attack. This condition can be so debilitating that the only thing you will be able to do for the entire day is to spend it on the bed writhing in pain. Some may even experience nausea and vomiting because of the extreme pain, which can be further intensified by sound or light.

Migraines, unfortunately, are hereditary. Studies on the subject have found evidence that migraines that run in families is not just because all of them are stressed or share a common personality trait that is linked to migraines such as being a workaholic. Genes seem to also play a role.

Experts believe that migraine is actually caused by the tightening of the blood vessels residing in the brain. This will then cause some expansion in other blood vessels to compensate. The swelling in the blood vessels is the cause of the extreme pain that one experiences with migraines.

The most common type of migraine will often be just a throbbing on just one side of the brain. This is often at the areas of the temple or the forehead. Migraines are different from regular tension types of pain in the head that people often refer to as "migraine." They are not. Migraines are more intense and they do not just happen because of some tension.

Another likely cause of migraine is the imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Research jave shown that levels of serotonin, a known neurotransmitter in the brain, may play a role in the development of migraines. Serotonin levels seem to drop when migraines occur.

More than the causes of migraine, it is important that one takes note of the triggering factors of migraine. There is actually no one triggering factor for one person. Often migraines will start from the interaction of a variety of factors. A triggering factor for one person may not necessarily be the triggering factor for another.

Since migraines as mentioned before is linked to hormones, it is not surprising that the monthly fluctuations in the hormonal balance that women experience will likely trigger a migraine attack. Some will either get them when they are about to start their monthly period or at the middle of the way, when the flow is at its greatest. Ironically, extra estrogen, one of the female hormones in the body, can actually decrease the possibility of getting a migraine.

Food also plays a role in triggering a migraine attack. The kinds of food involved are hazy at best and would probably need a more personalized checking. Remember that not all people get migraine from the same kinds of food. In fact, most do not even know the food that triggers their migraine. In a survey conducted, only about 10 to 20 percent of Americans actually know the food involved. The rest are just in the dark. Here are some of the food items that seem to trigger migraines. Chocolates, coffee, monosodium glutamate, red wine and beer and pickles and other fermented food. The lack of food may also trigger migraines so don't be too sure!

The environment especially the temperature can also trigger migraines. Any extreme changes including some changes in the illumination or strong odors.

Migraine Trigger Elimination Dieting

Science can't explain why so many migraineurs claim that there is a link between certain foods or beverages and their headaches, but they do. Sadly, the food triggers are different for each migraine sufferer—it's not like someone who needs to lower their cholesterol and the doctor tells them to eat egg whites and lose the bacon, migraineurs have to figure out their triggers on their own. The best way to do this is with an elimination diet.

The first step in any elimination diet is to put together a suspect list. A migraineur has had a headache the day after every football party for years. What is served?  Who hosts?  What items never change from party to party?  If it doesn't happen every time, what was different?  Did someone else make the potato salad this week?  List the suspects and move to step two.

This is the hardest step in an elimination diet. Until a suspect is identified, everything from the meal that seems to trigger a headache must be eliminated. Then the dieter can add items back into their life, one at a time, until they identify a trigger. Once the trigger is identified, it can be avoided.

Do not stop with the first trigger identified. Most migraineurs have multiple triggers. If an elimination diet is going to help someone, he or she needs to identify all the triggers.

For many migraineurs, the trigger is not a single food, but a combination of foods. For example, avocados trigger migraineur A and B is okay with them. However, when B eats guacamole he gets a headache every time. Why?  Guacamole is made up several common triggers including avocado, citrus juice, seasonings, and vinegar. B may be okay consuming any one of these alone, but combine them and its sure formula for a headache.