Triggers

I thought I would document my migraine triggers because I've never put them in one place before. If for no other reason, I write this so I can print up this list so I have it for my reference. I know there are more out there, but this is what I can remember/come up with this morning.

Food/beverage triggers:

- Cheeses (usually soft and stinky cheeses), red meat, nitrates, nitrites, citric acid, Benzoate, refined sugars, aspartame, sucralose, too much caffeine, not enough caffeine, monosodium glutamate, garlic, onions, too much grilled food, alcohol of all sorts (including my favorite...wine), chocolate - especially dark, spicy soup, anything too spicy, too many starchy vegetables in a period of time

Environmental and Visual Triggers:

- Flashing lights of any kind, direct sunlight, computer monitors, fluorescent lighting, driving/motion, talking on the phone, bending over, turning around too fast, bathing in too hot of water, wearing too high of heels, getting too hot or too cold

Smell Triggers:

- Bacon cooking, cat litter, bleach, furniture polish/finish, paint, new carpet, gasoline, car exhaust, garlic, anything being deep fried

Mental/Other Triggers:

- Not enough sleep/too much sleep, thinking/worrying about getting a migraine, all types of drugs (I will blog about this another time because I am extremely sensitive to chemicals and have not done well trying to find preventative and rescue medications - they all being headaches on), clenching my jaw, tension in my neck and back, getting off my eating schedule, working out too much/not working out (again - I think this is another good blog topic...mental note)