The most frustrating thing about migraines is the severe pain that prevents you from living a normal life. The second most frustrating thing? Not having any idea where they’re coming from.
Migraines can have a range of causes and triggers. There might be one root to your problem or multiple that impact one another and create worsening symptoms.
The first step to conquering your migraines is figuring out why you have them in the first place. This is no easy feat, and we recommend coming in for an appointment so a healthcare professional can guide the way, but here are a few common causes of migraines.
Hormonal levels
Your brain has multiple different types of estrogen receptors, and it relies on access to estrogen to work properly. When your estrogen levels drop during your period or perimenopause, your brain reacts by creating pain, and sometimes migraines.
Estrogen regulates the neurotransmitters and blood vessels that cause pain. When there’s not enough estrogen, a migraine isn’t far behind.
Not everyone who experiences PMS and perimenopause has migraines – it depends on how sensitive your brain is to changes in estrogen.
Other hormonal factors can cause migraines including hormone replacement therapy and birth control. Pay attention to when you get migraines and discuss with your practitioner to determine if they’re hormonal.
Stress
While stress affects you emotionally, it can have a dramatic impact on you physically as well. It can change your brain chemistry and even bring about sickness.
Not only do your serotonin levels drop during stress, which contributes to migraines, it also raises cortisol, your stress hormone. When these crucial neuro chemicals alter beyond normal levels, your brain reacts by triggering migraines.
High amounts of stress also lead to an increased allostatic load, meaning your nervous system will struggle to bear the weight of your stress. Think of it like wear and tear on your car, the more you drive it the more maintenance you will need. The more stressed you become, the more maintenance your brain will need to prevent symptoms like migraines.
Lifestyle
You need to take care of yourself to prevent migraines. Getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, eating consistently, and exercising all affect your health and susceptibility to migraines.
When you get poor quality sleep, you miss your REM phase. This is the portion of your sleep where your brain restores itself, so when it misses this healing phase it decreases your pain threshold. This leads you to having migraines.
Dehydration can lead to migraines for multiple reasons. Without enough water, your brain will shrink, putting pressure on your nerves and activating pain. It also leads to an electrolyte imbalance, which disrupts your nervous system and triggers migraines.
When you miss meals, it leads to a drop in your blood sugar. This means your brain won’t have enough energy, leading to migraines. Low blood sugar also leads to a release in stress hormones and hunger signaling hormones. Both processes constrict your blood vessels which trigger migraines.
Exercise is crucial in managing important nervous system processes, like quality of sleep. It also releases endorphins that act as natural pain killers that can help reduce migraines.
It’s also important to note that exercising too much can also trigger migraines. There are other chemicals your body releases when you exercise like lactate. Pay attention to when your migraines occur and consider lowering your exercise intensity if they pop up during or after your workout.
This is by no means a full list of every factor that triggers migraines, but these are the most common causes. If you’re struggling to manage your migraines, give us a call. You can schedule an appointment, and we can help you pinpoint the cause of your migraines. Let’s come up with a manageable plan for getting you out of pain.
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