Common migraine triggers

Migraine triggers are personal. A factor that matters for one person may not matter for another, and several small factors can stack together before an attack.

Commonly reported triggers

• Too little sleep, too much sleep, or irregular sleep timing
• Skipped meals or irregular eating
• Dehydration
• Stress or the let-down after stress
• Menstrual hormone changes
• Alcohol, especially wine, for some people
• Too much caffeine or caffeine withdrawal
• Bright or flashing light, loud sound, strong smells, or smoke
• Weather or barometric pressure changes
• Intense exertion in some people

Track patterns, not blame

A trigger diary is useful when it finds repeated patterns. One attack after one food, one stressful day, or one storm is not proof. Avoid broad food restriction or major routine changes unless a clinician recommends them or the pattern is strong and repeatable.

For better signal, track suspected triggers on days without migraine too. If you only write down chocolate, wine, poor sleep, or weather changes when an attack happens, the diary cannot show whether those same factors also happened on symptom-free days. That difference is what turns a trigger list into a useful pattern.

Sources

• Mayo Clinic: Migraine symptoms and causes
• NHS: Migraine
• American Migraine Foundation: Common myths about migraine