Migraine sufferers often spend inordinate amounts of their time and money trying to free themselves from the clutches of their excruciating headaches. While preventing migraines consistently might be out of reach without treatment from a doctor, some migraines may be able to be avoided. By identifying a person’s triggers and avoiding those situations or behaviors, they can learn to prevent some migraines.
4 of the Most Common Migraine Triggers
Step one to preventing migraines (at least without treatment from a doctor) begins with identifying what a person’s migraine triggers are. While true migraine treatment can only be accomplished by getting to the root cause of the attacks and solving those issues head on, prevention can be useful a well. A preventative approach puts the management of symptoms in the hands of the patient to avoid specific foods, activities, or behaviors that incite an attack. These triggers include:
- Diet
- Irregular sleep schedule
- Stress
- Light
Step 2
After you’ve successfully identified what triggers incite your migraine attacks, the next step is to remove, or at least avoid exposing yourself to those triggers.
Diet
Diet adjustments, to avoid migraines require a person to eliminate specific foods or drinks from their list of options. Some of the most common food-related triggers are:
- Yeasted baked goods
- Chocolate
- Dairy products
- Citrus fruits
- Soy products
- Vinegar
Irregular Sleep Schedule
People whose trigger is irregular sleep can, in many cases avoid their migraines by regulating their sleep. Getting to bed on time and waking up at the same time everyday can go a long way in regulating a person’s attacks.
Stress
How can you reduce consistently reduce stress? While not fool-proof, again showcasing the benefit of seeking curative treatment from a neuromuscular dentist, activities like meditation, prayer, exercise, and other relaxation techniques can help prevent stress.
Light
Exposure to flickering or pulsing lights, glares, electronic screens, and bright lights particularly fluorescent lights are all associated with migraine attacks.
What Should You Do?
While many of these triggers can be avoided by making changes to a person’s day-to-day life, this is far from a guarantee. Both because they sometimes cannot be avoided and because they won’t always prevent the triggering of an attack, people suffering from migraines should contact Dr. Raman at (816) 436-4422.
The root cause of many migraines is seated in dysfunctional temporomandibular joints. For many migraine sufferers, TMJ disorder treatment can cure their migraines.
