According to research, millions of people around the globe experience migraines daily. Medical practitioners describe migraines as an extreme throbbing pain in the head, often accompanied by a pulsating sensation. The problem affects adults and children alike, and if not managed, can end up affecting your life negatively.

Many people have a problem combating their migraines because they don’t know their triggers. Unlike headaches, migraines tend to occur due to an activation either by a certain action or feeling. Migraines can also come about due to the state of your mind and body. It is thus essential to note that the best way to deal with migraines is by identifying the triggers. Once you do, you can then go ahead and start working towards avoiding the problem.

Migraine triggers and how to avoid them

The list of your migraine triggers should be comprehensive. Some people have a single trigger, while others have multiple depending on their environment and lifestyle. This article is, however, going to look at the most common triggers and how to deal with them. By avoiding such causes, you will be able to stop migraines before they even start.

The most common migraine triggers include:

Stress

One of the most prevalent causes of migraines is stress. The only problem is that most stressful situations are external, which makes it hard to control. The best way to manage stress for migraine relief is to control how you react to the situation. As soon as stress occurs, the body tends to build up hormones (such as cortisol), which can end up causing migraines. To prevent this, you can learn relaxation techniques so that you can keep your mind at peace.

Irregular sleeping

Another trigger of migraines is irregular sleeping. Napping too little or too much tends to cause migraines. That is why you shouldn’t try making up for lost sleep by snoozing more than you usually do. Instead, build up a habit of sleeping for a specific period of 7 to 8 hours every day. Make sure you maintain the schedule to keep your body from reacting to sporadic changes. By doing so, you’re going to keep migraines at bay for a long time.

Dehydration

Whenever you get dehydrated, your brain shrinks slightly and pulls away from your skull. Doing so often leads to intense pain, which you will experience in the form of a migraine. To prevent such severe pain, you must remain hydrated throughout the day. Start by balancing the amount of water you drink in a day. Start slow until you find yourself drinking at least six glasses of water every day. In case of a dehydration migraine, fetch a glass or two and drink slowly to avoid vomiting.

Hormones

Most women tend to experience migraines due to hormonal changes. One of the principal hormones implicated in the onset of migraines is estrogen. During the menstrual cycle, the level of this hormone spikes, creating an imbalance. It is this discrepancy that tends to develop migraines. For women, you can prevent hormonal migraines by taking a constant dose of estrogen throughout your menstrual cycle. Doing so will prevent a hormonal imbalance.

Caffeine consumption

Coffee is yet another common cause of migraines and studies have found limiting caffeine intake improves migraine treatment. Coffee facilitates the creation of adenosine, which is a substance in the brain. The increase in adenosine often leads to migraines. You should thus avoid drinking coffee or minimize the amount you drink in a day. You can also avoid using fine coffee grounds when preparing your morning brew as such grounds often deliver strong coffee.

Migraine treatments, including over-the-counter medicines and specialist medication, can only treat the symptoms of the condition. Therefore, the only way to achieve complete migraine relief is to find out your triggers. Once you do, come up with methods to avoid or mitigate them. Other common migraine triggers to look out for include odours, salty food, medication, and too much noise, among others.

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