Hi
I was wondering if someone could talk about the MAIN triggers to avoid when dealing with migraines. I am pretty sure I have some sort of migraine problem, in addition to other dizziness that I have. Can someone tell me what to avoid in order to start feeling better?
Thanks.
Hi there,
Stress, Hormones, Chemicals, too much sleep (taking drugs to sleep etc.), food intolerances, msg, too much stimulation (physical or mental or emotional), travel (the exhaustion caused by the travel and doing too much).
I have kept a diary for over 20 years so can identify a lot of my triggers now. I still find the hardest one to find is the food intolerances as they generally only happen if there are other triggers at the same time.
The book “Heal Your Headache” by David Buchholz gives a good list of triggers. Very good book.
Christine
Hi,
This is such an individual thing and what are triggers for one person aren’t necessarily for another. Also, some days you might be able to tolerate something that on another might set one off, so it’s a complicated business!
Personally, my only food/drink trigger is alcohol, although I can almost guarantee a migraine if I don’t eat at regular intervals. When I go out for a meal in the evening, and am eating later than I usually do, I have to have a snack before I go out! Other than that, other triggers are sleeping in too late (I get up at the same time every single day, even when I don’t feel like it!), flickering lights, 3-D films, over-exercising (I can tolerate a moderate amount fine, in fact this seems to be beneficial).
You might like to try avoiding the most common food triggers (cheese, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine) and getting yourself into a really set routine with bed times first of all and seeing if that helps. ANd/or you could keep a diary of what you eat/what you do every day for a few weeks and see if you start to see a pattern with your dizziness/migraines occurring after particular foods or activities.
i gave up all the main food triggers but not sure i have seen any changes - not sure i find a pattern - one day i’ll get brave and add them back in one at a time. my food is sooooo boring now.
my main trigger is airborne stuff - pollen/pollution/chemicals/perfumes etc.
chris
Everyone has different triggers but there are some commonalities. Check out the MAV Survival Guide here: http://mvertigo.cloudapp.net/t/vestibular-migraine-survival-guide-2014/2244, it has a whole section on triggers.