Edmund Messina, MD
Medical Director
Michigan Headache Clinic
East Lansing, MI
A migraine trigger is something that will provoke a
migraine attack. To identify and avoid triggers is a very
important aspect of managing migraine. Some triggers
are within your control and may be avoided. Other
triggers are unavoidable, but knowing what they are can
help you prepare for them.
are more easily stressed in certain situations, so treatment
of the anxiety becomes an important priority.
Dietary Factors
What you eat and drink can also trigger migraines. Missing meals can produce a headache, which is not believed
to be related to the blood sugar level. It is possible that
Stress
disruption of the normal rhythms of the day, as regulated
One of the most frequent migraine triggers is stress,
by the hypothalamus in the brain, may be responsible.
which is sometimes manageable. An escalation in the
Missing a meal disrupts the rhythm.
frequency and severity of migraine attacks during stressful
Many people identify specific foods that provoke
times is common. Stress is cumulative and cannot always
headaches. It is not as helpful to follow the old-fashioned
be avoided, so it is very important to find strategies to
strict headache diets as it is to keep a careful headache
manage and dissipate it.
diary that indicates what was eaten prior to a severe
Workplace stress and marital stress