Unexpected triggers of migraine

Anything that increases the stress level in the brain can make you more vulnerable to migraines or tension headaches. Even today, doctors still don’t know why and how this happens. Changes in the brain such as injury may also be associated with migraine headaches.

If you don’t know what triggers your frequent migraines, it would be difficult for you to find relief or prevent it.

Figuring out what triggers your migraine is important. But, there are too many triggers such as stress. Here are some migraine triggers that may surprise you:

Migraine is a common condition, affecting 1 in every 5 women and 1 in every 15 men. 

1. Trigeminal Nerve Damage

Migraines are considered vascular headaches. When the blood vessels swell, it causes migraine by putting more pressure on the brain. Most often, the abnormal stimuli in the trigeminal nerve cause it to release chemicals that trigger blood vessel swelling. Experiencing pain can lead to more swelling.

For better understanding, the trigeminal nerve controls the muscles that are involved in chewing, swallowing, and biting.

The trigeminal nerve also carries sensation from your facial area. It also joins with the vagus nerve, which controls your gut function.

The potential cause of abnormal stimuli of the trigeminal nerve is excessive feedback from the jaw system.

Another potential cause is experiencing pain in your facial area, such as tension headaches or jaw pain. Come to think of it, nausea is the most common migraine symptom, which can be related to damage to the cranial nerves.

2. Heavy Metal on the Brain

Aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury are potent neurotoxins that can contribute to migraines. We have traces of heavy metals from seafood, immunizations, and dental fillings. Having a headache is one way our body tries to get rid of them.

When heavy metals enter the body, white blood cells ingest them. However, white blood cells cannot get rid of it and pass it down from one white blood cell to the other, which is fine. Not until the white blood cells are called into action. If you had an injury, white blood cells rush into the area of injury and to the area of the brain responding to that injury.

Even if the physical wound heals, the heavy metal rushed into the brain persists. Therefore, many patients continue to suffer even though all tests show normal functioning.

However, researchers have found that consuming foods rich in fibre may reduce mercury levels in the blood and brain. Another potent cleanser of heavy metals is the essential amino acid glycine.

In 2013, 25 migraine patients and 25 healthy patients participated in a study. Cadmium, lead, serum copper, zinc, cobalt, magnesium, iron, and manganese levels were measured in both groups.

After two months, it was found that heavy metals and trace elements may have played a role in the genesis of considerable oxidative stress in participants with acute migraine headaches.

3. Glysophate (Weed-Killer)

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world. For years, farmers have been spraying glyphosate in our food. It is being used to kill invasive species of weeds that could destroy crop yields. Chances are, you’ve been eating food that contains this chemical. Even if you consume organic, natural, and non-GMO foods, they may still be loaded with glyphosate.

Now, what happens if the body is exposed to or ingests glyphosate?

First, getting rid of heavy metals in your body would be difficult. You may experience migraines with neck spasms. Heavy metal toxicity is also linked with Alzheimer’s, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Seizures, Schizophrenia, kidney dysfunction, chronic fatigue, autoimmune diseases, and Facial Palsies.

Weeds are a problem in agriculture as they compete with crops for water and vital nutrients, which decreases the quality of harvested crops and jeopardizes food products' safety.

4. Circulation Problems

The brain requires a large number of nutrients to function properly. Even though the brain is merely 2% of your body weight, it requires about 15% to 20% of the overall blood flow of the body, depending on the activity at any given moment.

The blood-brain barrier protects the important network of blood cells against anything that could alter normal blood flow. During a migraine attack, there is a possibility that a greater amount of blood can pass through, temporarily disrupting the blood-brain barrier. This could be dangerous because certain chemicals that may activate pain receptors can slip through the blood into the brain’s circulation.

Tigger chemicals such as estrogen and serotonin are widely known to play a role in pain sensitivity for migraine sufferers. Serotonin is important for communication between nerve cells, but it can cause constriction of blood cells in the body. When these trigger chemicals levels change, it may result in migraine. This might also explain why some experience the throbbing agony of a migraine.

Serotonin levels affect both sexes, while estragon levels affect women only. During the fertile years of a woman, they experience a rise and fall in estrogen levels. Experts suggest that when estrogen levels are fluctuating, it can lead to throbbing pain. This also explains why women are most likely to experience migraines than men.

5. Energy Production (Lack of Mitochondrial)

Migraine sufferers are more prone to brain energy deficit between attacks compared to people who don’t have migraines. Inadequate or increased demand for energy production may cause brain oxidative stress, which may result from individuals having a migraine as a protective response.

This sheds light on how migraine aura propagates and why migraines occur. The brain’s response to migraine include increasing mitochondrial biogenesis, reducing brain energy demands, reducing the production of reactive oxidative species, suppressing apoptosis, releasing varied growth factors, and raising the level of antioxidant defense. These protective mechanisms suggest that migraine is a corrective process to protect the brain from energy imbalance and oxidative stress.

Patients with mitochondrial disease often complain about frequent migraines. Mitochondrial dysfunction is often associated with increased neuronal excitability, resulting in susceptible migraine. Mitochondrial impairment in the brain results in a deficit in mitochondrial energy, which can be a migraine trigger.

Natural Supplements for Migraine

Bespoke Biotics offers natural supplements such as Riboflavin, Coenzyme Q10, and Magnesium that can help treat migraines.

Types of Migraine Headaches That Can Be Helped by Migrasoothe

There are various forms of migraine headaches that can be relieved with riboflavin, especially when combined with Magnesium and CoQ10

• intractable migraine
• period and periodic migraine
• hormonal migraine
• ocular/optic migraine
• familial migraine
• hemiplegic migraine
• plain hemiplegic migraine
• ophthalmoplegic migraine
• episodic migraine
• sinus related migraine
• vestibular migraine
• migraine with aura
• chronic migraines
• silent migraine
• complex migraine
• abdominal migraine
• cyclical migraine

Disclaimers