What's your Migraine Trigger?

[Twaintime]

I have suffered with nasty migraines most of my adult life, but they have been particularly bad for the past 10 years. Sumatriptan helps with most episodes but I really hate taking it – it makes me feel so drained and weird.
Apart from alcohol – which I avoid – I have never been able to identify a definite trigger. Yes, I get a migraine if I'm very stressed or sleep-deprived – but sometimes I get an absolute horror seemingly from nowhere.
Has anyone ever discovered a migraine trigger years after onset that has really helped to eliminate them? It would be amazing to turn things round with diet for example.

Relaxing after stress, and bright sunshine.

Light. Bright sunshine or strong artificial light.

Mine were very hormone related. But on top of that I had other things that could trigger them - stress, lack of sleep, missing meals, physical exertion, lights etc. I found often it would be a combination of triggers all together say a couple of days before a period.

So if I’m busy at work and it’s the week before I’m due, no late nights and make sure I’m eating properly etc. But sometimes the tipping point is so low that it makes no difference at all. But, like you, I’ll get one from seemingly nowhere.

Cold packs and a cold flannel help me during the attack.

Bright lights.

Artificial sweeteners. If I'm having a soft drink it has to be sugar not sweeteners, or I pay for it later. The sugar tax has been a PITA for me, drinks that I used to drink without problem now bring on migraines as they've changed the recipe.

Otherwise hormones and flourescent lights.

I watched a programme a while back about migraines. It suggested that for most people it’s not one thing, but a build up of several different things that triggers a migraine. And that something in the brain craves things like cheese or chocolate when a migraine starts and people assume these to be triggers, but apparently the migraine has already started and the desire for things like cheese or chocolate are a symptom not a trigger. The programme was on channel 5. Definitely worth a watch if it’s still available.

I think my main trigger is hormones, but also dehydration and tiredness. I have spent the last year or so getting fit and have lost some weight and noticed my migraines are much less severe.

Tannin (so no tea)
Quinine
Something in some wines
Hormones and stress.

They've changed over the years though. It used to be eggs for example. The tea thing started off with just milk in tea, then all black teas, and now seems to have moved on to include green and mint tea.

Mine is when I've had a busy time with a lot of adrenaline - I can feel it start a day later as a tension headache and then it gets progressively worse

Hormones
Dehydration
Artificial lighting
Salty foods
Red wine

I've had a bit of a breakthrough with taking propranolol. Stopped my usual triptan and gave it a go. It's halved my migraines

Stress is the big one for me

Also motion sickness, if really severe, will often trigger a migraine. I can't do a long coach journey or flight now without developing one.

Mine has to be hormone related. They completely disappeared in my first pregnancy and came back once my periods restarted. Im now 21 weeks with my second and seems to be the same story.

I struggled with migraines for years and tried everything. They are 100% hormone related. Last year I found my absoloute miracle cure which is to take a maca root supplement the start of my cycle every month for a week. With this they completely disappeared.

Bright lights, flickering artificial lighting,
Bright Sun streak
Dehydration
Broken sleep / lack of quality sleep
Stress

In my twenties hormones, alcohol, cheese, coffee and flickering office lighting ( I could tell which lights were about to blow)

Driving somewhere new! I hate driving - even more when it triggers migraines.

Soy milk for me !

Hormones and weather. Big pressure changes, ouch.

But then food, stress, smells, light, wine, need I go on?

Hormones trigger my most regular migraines.
Also, chopping fresh garlic & onion (it's lazy garlic & prechopped frozen onion all the way here!), looking/talking at someone who has a light shining behind them for an extended time, caffeine withdrawal and- randomly- any Calvin Klein perfume, especially ck1. Which is slightly easier to avoid now it's not 1995

The only thing that really helps to ease them is 2 ibuprofen with a strong coffee.

Low Light through trees when driving is the worst, also when stress is over.

Gluten

Any inflammatory foods.....so mostly sugar and carbs. Therefore the worst culprits tend to be:
Alcohol
Bread
Gummy sweets
Pasta
Potatoes
Rice
The more I cut these out, the less migraines I get. Once did Keto and never had a single migraine, and it got rid of brain fog I didn't even know I had until it wasn't there. Gave me terrible indigestion though.

Anti inflammatories always helped the most with my migraines. I found a coffee helped get rid of a migraine. Ibuprofen was the most effective painkiller.

I also get migraines with storms etc....but not when I was on keto. So my theory is it's all inflammatory and any other triggers like light and storms only trigger one because the cells of my brain are already inflammation central.

I have some weird ones:
Burnt toast
Bonfires (esp fall wood)
Air fresheners
Perfume
Paint
Getting hungry
Not enough sleep
Crashing blood sugar
Bad neck posture
Coffee
Alcohol
Not enough tea
Too much tea
Deodorant/hair spray
Fumes

Mine are mainly:

Changes to sleeping patterns (so not just tiredness, but a big change to bedtime and morning. I used to work intermittent night shifts, and it was hell!)

Dehydration.

Sometimes alcohol does (like a super hangover even if I only had a couple of glasses of wine), although I strongly suspect this is actually caused by dehydration, as if I drink plenty of water in the evening then moderate alcohol does not trigger a migraine.

Sometimes, not eating enough after heavy exercise. I do intermittent fasting, and this does not by itself give me migraines, but if I go for a run and don't have a snack after this often triggers a migraine.

Stress, light, sleep deprivation

Apple juice, oats, aspartame

Being alive

Another one burnt toast or even the smell of burnt toast
Flickering lights
Flashing lights Tv adverts are awful for these
Flickering flashback on TV or zig zag images. Sunny day car driving flicker
Any kind photo or arty filmed into direct sunlight (why just why)
Anything really patterned like black white on a top or stripes.
Not enough sleep
Not drinking enough
Time of the month
Being to hot
Stress
Strong cleaning or perfume smells
Stormy weather

Lucky mine are mostly visual now and feel like Just got off Fairground ride straight onto a ferry in a storm but still steal chunks
Of your day because someone decided flashing advert would be “arty”