You’re cruising through your day, and everything seems fine –until it suddenly isn’t. Out of nowhere, the throbbing pain in your head sets in, the lights feel painfully bright, everything is too loud, and every little task feels like an uphill battle. Before you know it, you’re in the midst of another migraine attack. You rack your brain: you weren’t stressed, you ate well, and you even stayed hydrated. So, what gives?
Migraines are sneaky, and migraine triggers can be just as unpredictable. There’s a world of lesser-known culprits that could be fueling your episodes. Could your favorite perfume, a specific color, or even your weekend sleep-in be to blame? It’s time to uncover the unusual triggers that might be hiding in plain sight.
Read on to learn about the migraine triggers you might not have thought of.
Weather Changes
Weather can have a surprising impact on migraine sufferers, with sudden shifts in atmospheric conditions acting as powerful triggers. Changes in barometric pressure, often associated with storms or high-altitude environments, are a common culprit. These fluctuations can disrupt the body’s internal pressure balance, leading to headaches or full-blown migraines.
Extreme temperature changes, whether a sudden cold front or an unexpected heatwave, can affect the nervous system, prompting migraine symptoms or barometric headaches in susceptible individuals.
Certain Smells
Consider strong scents from:
- Perfumes
- Colognes
- Fragranced lotions
These unexpected yet common headache triggers can overstimulate the brain’s sensory pathways. Even household cleaning products, scented candles, or air fresheners with strong chemical components can cause a sudden onset of symptoms.
Not all triggers are artificial; natural smells like smoke, certain flowers, or food aromas (for example strong spices or frying oils), can also provoke migraines. This heightened sensitivity, called osmophobia, is particularly common in people with chronic migraines and can make everyday environments challenging to navigate.
Food Additives
Food additives are high on the list of rare migraine triggers. Ingredients such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) are a frequent culprit. MSG can overstimulate neurons in the brain, potentially leading to migraines in sensitive individuals. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, often used in diet sodas and sugar-free products, have also been linked to headaches and migraine symptoms.
Another potential trigger is tyramine, a naturally occurring compound in aged, fermented, or pickled foods such as:
- Cheese
- Cured meats
- Certain alcoholic beverages
Tyramine can affect the blood vessel’s function, which might contribute to migraines. Sulfites, used as preservatives in dried fruits, wine, and packaged foods, can also lead to reactions in those prone to migraine.
If you notice these surprising migraine factors, make sure you look into fast migraine relief strategies.
Stress Let-Down
While stress is a well-documented trigger for migraine attacks, what many people don’t realize is that migraines can also occur during the let-down period after stress has subsided. This phenomenon, known as a “stress let-down migraine,” happens when the body transitions from a heightened state of tension to relaxation.
The body may produce elevated stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline during stressful times. When the stressful situation ends, these hormone levels drop suddenly, potentially triggering a migraine as the body attempts to stabilize.
Watch Out for Migraine Triggers
Now that you know about these unusual migraine triggers, you’ll be able to keep yourself pain-free with ease. It also helps to be ready in case a migraine strikes out of nowhere. One way to do this is to make sure you have a handy device like gammaCore™ non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator (nVNS).
gammaCore nVNS is available with a prescription from your health care provider and is clinically proven to prevent migraines when used just twice daily. You can also use it to relieve migraine pain when needed (up to 24 stimulations a day), so you’ll never be thrown off by an unexpected migraine. If you feel one coming on, you can quickly and easily get your day back on track with gammaCore.
To see if gammaCore is right for you, visit our clinic finder to locate a health care provider near you, or contact our dedicated Customer Experience team at 888-903-2673 or customerservice@electrocore.com.
