Whether you are just starting to suffer from migraines, or you have been dealing with migraines for years, there are several common causes that could be contributing to your migraines. These can include stress, changes in weather, emotional abuse, overuse of medication, and food intolerances.
Stress
Among self-reported migraine attack triggers, stress is the most common. Stress can affect the nervous system and affect hormones. Stress can also affect the pain pathway.
A review of previous studies reveals strong evidence that stress is associated with migraine. It suggests that migraine may be a trigger of stress and may also be a stressor in itself.
The relationship between stress and migraine is complex and there is a great deal of heterogeneity in the manifestation of stress. This heterogeneity may limit the general causality between stress and migraine.
Food intolerances
Approximately 20% of the population in the industrialized world has a food intolerance, a problem with eating certain foods. These food intolerances can have serious effects on the body, including migraine headaches.
Food intolerance can be caused by several factors, including immunological, physiological and biochemical. The symptoms of food intolerance may be similar to those of allergies, but may take longer to occur. Some food intolerances involve prominent gastrointestinal symptoms. Other food intolerances may cause headaches.
Changes in weather
Changing weather can be a frequent cause of migraine, and may even increase your risk of migraine attacks. There are many factors that can trigger a migraine, including weather, stress, and other things you do every day. If you’re suffering from migraine, you’ll want to look at what you can do to avoid the symptoms.
For instance, studies have shown that changing barometric pressure can increase your risk of migraine. This is because the barometric pressure changes may have an effect on how your brain blocks pain signals. The same changes may also lead to changes in brain chemicals. These changes can cause dehydration, a common migraine trigger.
Medication overuse
Among headache disorders, medication overuse headache (MOH) is one of the most common. It is estimated that around 30% of patients who visit a specialist headache clinic have this disorder. However, there are no reliable tests for this condition.
This condition usually develops after a patient has been taking a combination of pain relievers for longer than 15 days. This condition can be caused by ergotamines, acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and combination pain relievers that contain aspirin and caffeine.
Emotional abuse
Those who have suffered from emotional abuse have been found to be at higher risk for migraine. In a study from the University of Toledo, researchers found that migraineurs who experienced childhood abuse were more likely to have migraines in adulthood.
In order to determine if there is a causal link between emotional abuse and migraine, researchers looked at the medical records of eight thousand migraineurs. They found that those who experienced both emotional and physical abuse were more likely to have migraine than those who experienced only one type.