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Why do you get migraines? |
Know your triggers to prevent a migraine from happening.
Some people get migraines because it is genetic, a family trait. Some people are predisposed to having migraines because they have another illness. And some people just happen to have migraines - with no clear cut reason why their brain happens to have this particular dysfunction.
Regardless of the why your brain is set up to get migraines, the fact is that there must be something in your life that sets the migraine cycle off.
- Many foods can trigger migraines. Poor nutrition can cause it as well.
- Environmental allergies - such as to mold.
- Smoking
- Odors: Some migraineurs exhibit a sensitivity to perfumes or certain odors.
- Sunlight/fluorescent light/glare from computer screens
- Stress, both directly and indirectly. Directly, because the physical changes brought on by stress (or by relaxations after long periods of stress) can cause migraines. Indirectly, because stress as a whole lowers your threshold for any other migraine trigger you might have. For example, perhaps you can normally stand 5 hours under fluorescent lights. Being stressed might lower that threshold down to 3 hours.
- Weather (barometric changes)
- Extreme temperature shifts
- Dehydration
- PFO - Patent Foramen Ovale is a congenital birth defect in which there is a small hole in the heart. Having surgery to correct this anomaly can help cut down on the frequency of your migraines.
- Lack of sleep OR Too much sleep. (maintaining a normal sleep schedule is key)
- Hormonal changes (puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause)
- Migraines from exertion. These can be brought on from exercise, or sometimes brought on by sex.
- Some people have migraines develop only after injuries, like a concussion, or neck trauma.
- Pseudotumor cerebri - where too much cerebrospinal fluid in the body is pressing on the brain.
Learning to manage these triggers can go a long way to reducing the frequency and severity of your migraine attacks.
First answer by Celticfife. Last edit by Celticfife. Contributor trust: 107 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 8 [recommend question]
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