There is a common misconception that if a person is sensitive to a food item , they will know it , because they will have migraine symptoms within an hour of eating the particular food item . In fact , some effects may come immediately , but some may be delayed for days . Added to this confusion is the reality that many real food triggers may not cause migraine alone , but only in combination with other partial triggers , which together may provoke an attack of migraine headache or symptoms . For example , some migraineurs can eat chocolate or drink red wine alone with no problem , but will suffer a migraine attack if chocolate and red wines are taken together .
We generally recommend an initial dietary trial that avoids only the most common migraine triggers . If good results are not achieved within a few weeks , a comprehensive diet , which eliminates all potential migraine triggers , is recommended . It may take 6- 10 weeks for a patient suffering from severe and debilitating migraine symptoms to respond , but most do . After an improvement in symptoms is achieved , suspected foods can be added to the diet – but slowly , and one at a time , to see whether they are an important triggers for that patient . Despite the difficulty of this kind of a trial , we have found that even the most severely affected migraineurs tend to respond and are generously rewarded for their efforts .
Physiologic triggers
Perhaps the most common trigger of migraine is stress . Patients commonly report increased symptoms when they are fatigued , suffer lack of sleep , or alter their sleep schedule . Many other physiologic stresses can also trigger migraine , such as hunger , exercise , and pain . Some patients suffer migraine from sleeping too much , and cannot understand why most of their weekends are ruined by headaches or dizziness . It is not unusual for unsuspected sleep apnea to trigger migraines . Migraines are commonly triggered by hormone changes , like the drop in estrogen levels before the menstrual period or after menopause .
Treatment of Migraine
It seems easy to take pain medications or abortive medications such as narcotics or triptans to suppress symptoms , but when taken frequently , these can worsen the problem by causing rebound symptoms more intense than the original attack . It is unfortunately common that patients get themselves into a vicious cycle , resulting in decreased functioning at work and at home with the expected emotional consequences before preventative treatment is sought . Those patients who work to understand what migraine is and how migraine is affecting their lives will obtain the