You can help avoid migraines by knowing your migraine triggers. The Migraine Diary can help you to spot your migraine triggers.
Not everyone with migraines has triggers. And a certain trigger may not always cause a migraine. Common migraine triggers include:
Foods and drinks
- Some aged cheeses, red wine, and processed meats contain a substance that can trigger migraines. Ask your healthcare provider for a list of foods & drinks to avoid.
- Alcoholic drinks, like beer, whiskey, champagne, and red wine
- Foods with nitrates, nitrites, sugar substitutes, and MSG. These can include hot dogs, ham, bacon, lunchmeats, seasonings, and prepared foods, like some Chinese food.
- Foods and drinks with caffeine, like coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate (one of the most common food migraine triggers)
- Skipping meals
The world around you
- Strong smells. This can include irritants in the air, like cigarette smoke, household cleaners, and perfumes.
- Loud noise. The noise may last a long time, like a crying baby or construction. Or, it may be sudden, like a truck’s backfire.
- Riding in a car, boat, plane, or other vehicle. Ask your healthcare provider about treating motion sickness, which can bring on a migraine.
- Bright, glaring, or flickering light. This can come from TV or computer screens, strong sunlight, laser shows, and light reflected off water, snow, or sand.
- Weather changes in air pressure or temperature. Other common triggers are high humidity, and very cold or hot weather.
Personal
- Stress, either emotional or physical. Sometimes a migraine starts when the stress ends. This is why migraines often happen on weekends and holidays.
- Hormonal changes. These cause many women to have migraines just before or during their periods.
- Sleep routine. Getting too much or too little sleep, or napping during the day can touch off a migraine.
- Changes in eating habits, mainly missing meals or dieting.
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