If you have ever suffered a migraine, you know how debilitating they can be. Once the pain sets in, there’s very little you can do except wait for it to pass.
As migraine sufferers know, there are many things said to be triggers – and now a doctor has revealed how likely these top triggers are to bring on a migraine. Doctor Eli Sader is trained in neurology and interventional pain management, with a special focus on headaches and all types of migraines. He is a fully licensed physician, and also posts videos on social media to inform people about migraine triggers, symptoms and pain management.
In a recent video, Dr Sader ranked the various migraine triggers out of ten, with ten being it definitely triggers migraines, and zero being it won’t trigger a migraine.
He said weather changes are likely to trigger a migraine. Dr Sader explained: “There’s a lot of evidence that low barometric pressure can trigger a migraine.” He rated this an 8/10.
Some of the other high risk triggers according to Dr Sader are bright lights, stress, sleep changes, skipping meals, and perfumes. Hormonal changes were rated as a 9/10 on the scale.
Some things are not as high risk however – he rated caffeine and cheese as low risk
Chocolate in his opinion is also “overblamed”. He rated it as 2/10 and explained: “We used to think of it as a trigger now we think it part of the prodrome cravings.”
The prodrome phase is the early onset of an illness. For migraines, it happens as the brainstem and hypothalamus become active and can cause subtle physical and emotional changes before the real pain sets in.
It can act like a warning system and can vary from person to person, sometimes beginning hours or even days before the migraine.
Stiff neck and shoulder tension
Fatigue or sudden, extreme drowsiness
Constipation or diarrhoea
Difficulty concentrating or “brain fog”
Increased sensitivity to sound or smells
Change in appetite – craving salty, greasy foods or chocolate
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
