I am not sure if I get migraines from my genetics (my grandmother dealt with them a lot) or because I have celiacs disease…but I will tell you over the course of the past ten years I have really focused in and found out what triggers my migraines, and what helps.
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First—I will tell you my migraine triggers because perhaps yours will be similar.
1-Too much sugar!
For example, sour patch kids….they get me every single time! These candies are covered in sugar, and it takes just a small amount and within a few hours, my head is pounding. As much as I enjoy these tasty treats….I avoid them and other candies that are jam-packed with sugar.
If you aren’t sure if sugar is a trigger for you…start tracking it. Think of the foods you ate the day before and the day of your migraine, usually there is a pattern.
2- Lack of sleep.
If I stay up past midnight…I am in a risky zone. More often than not, I will get a migraine from only getting 5-6 hours of sleep. I noticed I would get migraines in college during finals week. What I thought was stress, was actually me staying up late to finish assignments or to study. It’s not worth the late nights for me, and I have reluctantly learned I have to get to bed sooner than I want sometimes.
3- Hormones.
This is one I can’t do a lot about…but I try my best to prevent. During the weeks of my period I always start getting a migraine. I take a magnesium supplement and that helps a bit, and I also take two excedrin migraine as soon as I feel the migraine coming on. I have also tried some roller ball essentail oils that have helped, I just have to continue to reapply.
The rollerball essential oils are: Past Tense from DoTerra, & No More Aches Headache Roll-on by Taspen’s Organics. (PS I am not an affiliate with these essential oils just letting you know what has helped.) The reason I like essentail oils as well is because when I am pregnant I try my best not to take many meds. However, I also get more migraines when I am pregnant due to the hormone increase, so the essential oils have helped.
4- Dehydration.
When I don’t drink enough water, my migraines increase. In the summer I tend to get more migraines, so I am very diligent about drinking a lot of water.
If I do get caught in a bad migraine, something that works for me is 2 excedrin migraine and an 8 ounces Diet coke or Diet pepsi. It usually takes a few hours to fight off but it does help.
I also use this ComfiTech head wrap when I am dealing with a migraine. This head wrap soothes the migraine. I also like that the head wrap darkens the room which is also helpful when dealing with migraines.
So what are some of your migraine triggers?
I would love to hear what has worked for you.
Migraines are not fun, and hopefully if you deal with migraines frequently, you can find a good doctor who can help you deal with the migraines.
Until next time!
xoxo,
Christy Lee