Migraines & Symptom Tracking

WYLD Health
Written By Nina Eghani

The exact cause of migraine isn’t completely understood yet. However, many factors can induce a migraine. It may be worth while to track your migraine pain and triggers in order to get a better understanding of your chronic pain. Just remember it is vital to never overuse or abuse any type of prescription medication for migraines. This could, in fact, lead to chronic migraine symptoms and increased attacks.

So what is “Symptom Tracking”?

It simply means you take note of anything that may have caused you to have a migraine, as well as length and severity.

 
Migraine symptoms

Symptoms, Severity, and Frequency

Generally, a doctor will ask about your pain during a migraine. Migraines work on a scale from 0-10, with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest level of pain. This can be used for tracking too. Along with where the area of pain is and other symptoms like nausea, confusion (brain fog) or numbness. For each of the symptoms, you should note how often they occurred and the length of each symptom.

Triggers

There are numerous things can trigger a migraine.

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Stress

A sudden or dramatic increase in physical or emotional stress can trigger a migraine. Researchers have found that a majority of people state that their migraine attacks are correlate to stress. This is echoed in another study where 50%-80% of people report that stress triggers their migraines. Whilst some people experience migraines after a stressful event, others experience a new attack in the middle of a stressful event.

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Lack Of Sleep or Jet Lag

One of the most common triggers linked to migraines is sleep disturbance. Both insufficient and excessive sleep correlate with acute migraine attacks. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder linked with chronic migraines. People who have chronic migraines along with insomnia are at an increased risk for anxiety or depression. Changes in your work schedule and jet lag are also linked to the onset of a migraine.

All these conditions have one thing in common: sleep disturbance. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, along with getting 8 hours of sleep each night may be the best way to avoid sleep disturbance induced attacks. However, it is vital to note that many people report sleep as a reliever of their migraine headaches.

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Hunger Or Dehydration

Whilst we have all had a day where we’ve been so busy that we forgot to eat lunch and it is already past dinner, research has consistently shown that skipping meals is frequently linked to the onset of a migraine. Although there is no evidence as to why this is a trigger a possible conclusion could be to falling blood glucose levels.

Whilst it is known that dehydration causes headaches, it could also be linked to migraines. A small survey of people with migraines revealed that insufficient fluid intake was linked to headache onset in about 40 percent of responders.

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Foods

Fasting and specific foods are usually reported as plausible triggers for migraine attacks. Identifiable foods have been reported by 12%-60% of people as a trigger. This was further researched in a study in Brazil where most people with migraines reported having at least one trigger. Diet was one of the most commonly reported triggers, with fasting being the most common diet-related triggers.

  1. of the most common substances associated with migraines:

  • Alcohol

  • Chocolate

  • Caffeine 

Other foods commonly associated with migraines are cheese, salami, fermented, cured and pickled foods that contain large amounts of tyramine (an amino acid).

It is best to constantly stay hydrated and to avoid skipping meals. A bottle and snack on hand is always a good option.

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Food Additives

Migraines can be triggered by aspartame (an artificial sweetener) and MSG (a flavour enhancer). However, there has been conflicting results in research thus far. Whilst no clear connection with migraines and aspartame can be drawn, there is evidence to suggest that people with clinical depression may experience worsened symptoms after consumption. MSG also has no direct link to migraines, however, a small study in 2009 concluded that it could trigger headaches as well as pain in the face and head.

migraine causes

Alcohol

Alcohol is one of the most reported triggers for migraine. In the 2008 Brazilian study it was reported that alcohol triggered migraines in about one-third of  the participants. Red wine is more likely to trigger migraines than other alcohols, more so in women. In the study, red wine triggered a migraine in 19.5% of men and women. Whilst white wine triggered a migraine in 10.5% of people. The red wine also disproportionately affected women. Red wine triggered migraine in just 8% of men, but among women the number increased to 22%.

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Highly Caffeinated Beverages

Excessive caffeine consumption can trigger migraines, according to some experts. Others have noted that caffeine withdrawal may also trigger a headache. A controlled study concluded that a drug combining acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine was better at relieving the systems of a migraine compared to ibuprofen alone. You should still be weary of over-the-counter headache medications, as they can contain significant amounts of caffeine. Therefore, it is wise to monitor your intake of caffeine from tea, coffee, soft drinks and energy drinks.

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Medication Over Use

One of the most common factors for a migraine is the overuse of medication. Whilst medication does help, people sometimes overuse common painkillers. This sometimes has the opposite affect as the occasional migraines can progress to chronic migraines. Medications such as opioids and butalbital are also overused by people who have migraines. Overuse of these medications may not only cause more frequent headaches but also greater pain. Medication in the opioid class are associated with the development of chronic migraines. There is no understanding as to why these medications (in excess) may worsen migraine attacks. Therefore, it is vital to discontinue excessive medicating before you try symptom tracking. It may be helpful to follow your daily pain ratings and how they correlate to each new medication instead. It’s a great way to figure out whether the new medication is making a difference.

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Odd Or Strong Smells

Perfume is often reported as a trigger for a migraine. People with migraine frequently report that strong or unusual smells trigger their headaches. About 50% of people with migraines reported an intolerance for smells during attacks. This phenomenon is known as osmophobia and is unique to people with migraines. Cigarette smoke, food odors, and scents such as perfume were found to be the most frequently offending smells during migraine attacks. It was concluded in a study that people who suffer from migraines and osmophobia were more likely to exhibit symptoms of anxiety and depression.

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Bright lights And Loud Sounds

Some people report that bright, flickering, or pulsating lights, or loud sounds, may serve as a migraine trigger. Whilst a small study found that even momentary exposure to sunlight may trigger a migraine, another expert suggested that sunlight may be a secondary trigger. He stated that the sunlight only triggered the migraine if he drank wine the night before, was sleep deprived, stressed, dehydrated or skipped a meal. People whose migraine attacks appear to be triggered by bright light should consider whether these other factors may also be triggers for them.

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Changes In Weather

Changes in the weather have also been linked to the onset of migraine headache. There was a Brazilian study of adolescents with migraines. From that it was found that weather patterns that were likely to trigger headache included sunny and clear, hot, cold, and changing weather. Another small study in America concluded that thunderstorms with lightning were significantly linked to the onset of headaches. Although the researchers concluded that lightning was a trigger, they were uncertain as to why.

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Female Hormones

Women are 3 times more likely to experience a migraine than men, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. The female sex hormone fluctuations may play a role in the migraine onset and severity. Over half of the female participants in a study stated that they were likely to get severe migraines during menstruation.  A small subgroup of these women exclusively experienced migraine during menstruation. The use of oral contraceptives can make migraine symptoms worse. Whilst pregnancy can offer relief for certain women who have migraines, pregnancy was also linked to worsening symptoms for other women. Post-menopause may provide a little relief from headache severity. It is important to track where you are in your menstrual cycle as it closely correlates to migraine pain.

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Physical Activity

Intense exercise is another trigger for migraines. A study found that 38% of people with migraines experience exercise-triggered migraine attacks at some point. Many people report that exercise-induced migraines begin with neck pain. With this, more than 50% of people no longer participated in their favourite sport or exercise in order to avoid triggering the migraine. Some people have reported that they substitute low-intensity exercises for the high-intensity exercises that may trigger an attack. 

In Essence

Although symptom tracking is not the solution, it’s still vital to understand your personal migraine triggers and do your best to avoid them. It’s also important to remember that overuse of migraine medications can intensify your symptoms.

It may be a daunting task, but there are now also apps to help you track your migraine length, severity, symptoms and triggers.

References

Nina Eghani
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