Can't find the specific trigger
Hi all
I've had migraine for over 15 years now (as early as I can remember). They happen about once a year (although I had periods where they happened every 2 months, but this was only for three times). Nowadays they occur about every 10 months. It's weird that they happen on a time frame and I want to know if it's just coincidence or that this is possible that there are migraine cases that just happen every now and then without a specific trigger.
I tried drinking tons of coffee, eating a lot of cheese, chocolate,... I even have a very stressful job, but this doesn't trigger it.
The only trigger I can think of is my neck. I noticed that I have a very stiff neck that starts a few days before the migraine starts. I visited a kinesist who treats my neck and perhaps it's some sort of placebo effect, but the attacks are less painful and occur less frequently.
Now the main question is, like I stated, can migraine occur without any reason? Or does there has to be a trigger (like my neck, coffee,...).
PS: migraine runs in my family
Thanks!
Hi RestUnknown,
Thank you for your question. At this time, we aren't certain what causes a migraine attack. Current thinking, which is backed by research, show it to be caused by genetics and a cascade of events that impact overly excitable neurons in our brains. Once our overly sensitive brains are triggered by certain stimuli such as changes in the weather, hormones, dehydration, sleep issues, and certain foods, and others, an attack may occur
You may want to keep a migraine diary for the next few months so you can track any patterns that may arise as well as identify our triggers. Stress can be a trigger for some of us, but also the release of stress can trigger an attack. When we get a migraine from this, it's called 'let down' headache. You can read more about this here; https://migraine.com/blog/let-down-migraines/.
Neck issues can trigger an attack and also be a symptom of an attack, which can complicate diagnosis. An accurate migraine diagnosis and even treatment is often delayed when we discuss neck pain. You can read more about that here; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-symptoms-neck-pain/ and here; https://migraine.com/blog/neck-pain-and-migraine/ and https://migraine.com/blog/some-headaches-are-caused-by-neck-problems/.
I hope this helps,
Nancy
