Causes (Migraines)

The causes of migraines can differ from person to person and are still somewhat of a mystery to researchers and physicians. Causes of migraines are mostly referred to as triggers. A migraine trigger is anything that may lead to the development of an acute migraine headache, either through its withdrawal or by being exposed to it. Causes can be behavioral, environmental, infectious, dietary, chemical, or hormonal.

The most common hypothesis is that individual migraine episodes are caused by the exposure to certain environmental factors. This idea is supported by a large amount of anecdotal evidence. A great number of people have noticed that dietary, physical, hormonal, emotional, or environmental factors are some of the causes that lead to the onset of migraines. The most common causes include stress, over-illumination or glare, alcohol, food, too much or lack of sleep, and weather. Sometimes a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle may be one of the causes of migraines. Often a migraine can occur without an obvious cause.

If you suffer from regular migraines, you may have already noticed the particular causes of your attacks. If not, it’s advisable to make an effort to pay attention to the possible causes of your migraines. You can do this by looking for connections between potential causes and the onset of a migraine episode. A good way to keep track is by keeping a headache diary in which you record your meals and headache episodes. This will make it easier to identify causes – it’s also a good way make an attempt to avoid future headaches by avoiding causes that may work as triggers.

One of the suspected causes of migraines is the weather. Changes in weather, in particular, have been known to be one of the causes of these types of headaches in some individuals. Temperature mixed with humidity, high humidity plus high or low temperature, significant changes in weather, and changes in barometric pressure are the leading causes of migraines in those sensitive to weather.