You may get headaches from stress, food, alcohol, or strong light. Knowing what triggers to avoid could be helpful.
Stress
Tension headaches are frequently brought on by tense shoulders and neck muscles, which are caused by stress. The brain interprets discomfort in the neck and shoulder muscles as headache pain when tension headaches occur frequently.
A tension headache or migraine can be brought on by hunger alone. However, some meals may make migraines worse. A single food type, such beans or nuts, or a variety of foods, like avocados, bananas, cheese, chocolate, citrus, herring, dairy products, and onions, could be the culprit. Particularly dangerous processed foods may contain monosodium glutamate, nitrites, nitrates, or yellow food coloring.
Alcohol intake
One typical migraine trigger is alcohol. Any type of alcohol can cause a headache, but for some people, just a few ounces of red wine is enough to set them off. It’s unclear if the issue stems from the alcohol per se or from another ingredient in the beverage.
Environment
The following environmental elements are linked to migraine headaches: strong odors, bright light, smoke, humidity, and cold weather. Individuals who suffer from cluster headaches frequently report that certain seasonal changes cause their migraines.
Hormones
Women get headaches more frequently than males do, and changes in estrogen levels are linked to migraine symptoms in women. In younger women, migraines may be related to menstrual cycles. In certain cases, migraines can be brought on in women who have never had one by fluctuating estrogen levels during the perimenopause. Another possible cause of migraines is estrogen therapy. For most women, migraines do appear to stop with menopause.
Caffeine withdrawal
If you typically get your caffeine from tea or coffee, quitting suddenly could make you get a migraine. This could be because blood vessels constrict when exposed to caffeine; in contrast, blood vessels expand and bulge out with every heartbeat when caffeine is absent, which is one of the main causes of migraines’ excruciating agony.
Lack of sleep
Tension headaches and migraines are linked to sleep deprivation. Sleeping usually stops migraine attacks in their tracks, or at least lessens the intensity of the agony.