Know Your Personal Triggers

One of the most effective tools for living with migraine is recognizing what tends to happen before an attack. Not everyone shares the same triggers, and most attacks need several stacked together — but nearly everyone has patterns.

The usual suspects

• Lack of sleep, or poor-quality sleep
• Emotional stress and anxiety
• Dehydration
• Skipping meals
• Bright sunlight and flashing lights
• Long hours in front of screens
• Strong smells
• Heat
• Hormonal changes
• Alcohol
• Too much caffeine — or sudden caffeine withdrawal
• Certain foods (aged cheese, processed meats, MSG)

Finding your patterns

Keep a migraine journal for several weeks. After each attack, note what the previous 24–48 hours looked like: sleep, meals, water, stress, weather, screens, hormones. You’re not looking for a single villain — you’re looking for combinations that repeat.

Two things to keep in mind:

1. Triggers stack. A short night alone might be survivable; a short night plus a skipped lunch plus a stressful meeting often isn’t.
2. A pattern is information, not a life sentence. Knowing that bright afternoon light is a trigger doesn’t mean never going outside — it means sunglasses, a brimmed hat, and a little planning.

You can log attacks in the Member Hub and review your history over time — patterns that are invisible day-to-day often jump out over a month.

These tips are educational and are not medical advice. Every migraine is different — always work with your healthcare provider on your own treatment plan.