30 headache triggers and how to avoid them

Headaches involve pain or discomfort in your head or around your face. The unwelcomed feeling is often described as pressure that’s throbbing, constant, sharp, or dull. They are common and can stop by themselves most of the time. However, should you suffer from regular headaches, or ones that develop a new pattern, they could be a sign of a more serious problem. Here we outline common headache triggers and how to avoid them.  

Headaches can be caused by lifestyle habits:

The below aren’t an exhaustive list of headache triggers but some of the common causes: 

• Dehydration – Being dehydrated can trigger a headache and worsen existing ones.  
   
  To avoid getting thirsty, drink plenty of water (how much you need will vary depending on how hot it is, if you’ve been ill or if you’ve exercised). There’s more to good hydration than drinking water alone, for instance you may wish to consider supporting your electrolyte levels with electrolyte drinks or coconut water (check the label, in case there’s hidden artificial sweeteners, colours and flavourings), eat fruit and vegetables high in water content like watermelon, cucumber and celery, and sip on herbal teas to help replenish your levels of the minerals sodium, potassium and magnesium. For more information, visit our ‘How to stay hydrated – beyond drinking more water’ article. 
  
   
• Stress – With a study of 1,207 migraine patients flagging stress as the most common trigger, leading a lifestyle which induces feelings of stress isn’t likely to be doing your head any favours.   
  
  To avoid this headache trigger, try minimising stress by using a schedule and getting prepared ahead of time. Doing activities you love and that relax you, such as painting, playing an instrument, yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, or a physical activity can also help. It can be easy to feel like you don’t have time to prioritise your own wellbeing, but this is a story we can often innocently tell ourselves when we get caught up in the noise of everyday life.
   
   
• Taking excess painkillers – Paracetamol and codeine, for example, may help alleviate headache pain but taking them too often, such as more than twice a week, can actually make your headaches more regular and intense. You may rely on painkillers to treat other conditions, such as arthritis. However, there may be approaches outside pills and medical treatment you could try that may grant you relief, such as acupuncture, which, together with routine care, was associated with a noticeable clinical improvement in patients with chronic osteoarthritis in their knee or hip, who had acupuncture over three months, but doesn’t seem to help pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
   
  Talk through weaning yourself off regular painkillers with your doctor because there can be severe side effects if done incorrectly. 
  
   
• Poor posture – For example, forward head posture, whereby your head and ears are in front of your body’s vertical centre line, is the most common abnormal posture in adults. Several studies have shown an association between tension-type headaches – the most common headache type among adults – and forward head posture.  
   
  To avoid this headache trigger, you may wish to take more breaks on long drives to prevent being hunched over the driving wheel for too long, switching from a heavy backpack to a different style of bag, and curbing your time spent hunched over electronic devices. You could also explore exercises thought to combat forward head posture.

Migraine triggers and how to avoid them

Migraines are a severe throbbing pain or pulsing feeling, typically on one side of the head that can last for days. They frequently come with sickness, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound, and may come with a sensory disruption called an “aura” beforehand. Light flashes, blind spots, other changes in vision and tingling of the hands or face can all be classed as ‘auras’.  

Migraines are a common condition, impacting around one in every five women and one in every 15 men, usually starting in young adulthood.  

Triggers will vary from person to person, with some people experiencing a combination of things that prompt their migraine. Some migraines may not have any triggers. Keeping a headache diary to record when they begin, how long they last, and what activities you were doing at the time can help you identify some causes, so you’re better informed about how to avoid migraines unique to you.  

Below are some common migraine triggers, some: 

• Some women have migraines between two days before their period and three days afterwards, possibly due to differing levels of hormones, such as oestrogen at this time. Migraines can worsen for some during perimenopause, though they can get better a few years after their final period.    

• Anxiety – you can discover practical ways to help calm your anxiety here.  
   
• Depression – you can learn about depression and approaches to self-help and treatment here.  
   
• Stress  – you can find out more on how to improve your response to stress here.  
   
• Tension – this article contains tips on some effective exercises for releasing tension and stress in the body. 
   
• Shock 
   
• Excitement  

• Tiredness and poor sleep – you may wish to dive into our 15 tips for better sleep here. 
   
• Shift work – you may like to explore our piece on how to work night shifts and stay healthy. 
   
• Poor posture  
   
• Neck and shoulder tension 
   
• Jet lag  – which can also disrupt your circadian rhythm (we cover how to improve yours here). 
   
• Fasting or low blood sugar 
   
• Vigorous exercise, should you not be accustomed to it.

Although more research is needed to confirm niacin’s (vitamin B3) preventative effects on migraines, some evidence is emerging that niacin may help to avoid migraines. This is suspected as previous studies have shown decreased levels of the feel-good hormone and neurotransmitter, serotonin is related to migraines. A shortfall in brain energy and oxidative stress are also thought to play a role in migraine development. Niacin boosts serotonin levels, enhances brain energy deficiency, and has strong antioxidant properties.

• Missed, late or inconsistent meals 
   
• Dehydration 
   
• Alcohol – different types of alcohol can trigger migraines, with red wine being a notorious culprit. We share eight actions to help you reduce your alcohol intake here. 
   
• The food additive tyramine: cheese and cure meats are sources of this. 
   
• Caffeine, for example, coffee or tea 
   
• A lack of caffeine, if you’re used to having it regularly. 
   
• Particular foods, for instance, chocolate, citrus fruit (grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange etc) and cheese. Some people crave chocolate before a migraine, but this can be an indication of an imminent migraine rather than chocolate being a migraine trigger. 

Some professionals support the idea of precision nutrition to prevent or treat conditions, including migraines. Precision nutrition involves examining a person’s DNA, microbiome, and metabolic response to particular foods or meal patterns to establish the most effective eating plan. Precision nutrition isn’t available on the NHS but may still be useful to explore.

For example,nutraceuticals (supplements and vitamins) may help. Magnesium, for instance, seemed to be an effective prevention measure for migraines in a review of five clinical trials, with 600mg of magnesium citrate daily yielding the most successful results. It may help to explore types of magnesium supplements, such as magnesium L-threonate, that can You may also benefit from weaving magnesium into your nutrition from dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, yeast extract, seeds, and wholegrains.

Meanwhile, a review of nine clinical trials and 673 participants found 400mg of daily riboflavin (vitamin B2) supplementation for three months had a significant impact on the days, duration, frequency and pain score of migraine attacks. Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) showed promise for reducing the frequency and duration of episodic migraines in an analysis of 371 patients from six clinical trials. In addition, the herbal remedy feverfew, which should be avoided if you’re taking medications which may cause bleeding as it may increase this risk, and is a rare cause of liver toxicity, showed moderate effects in reducing migraine frequency (although there was no difference in pain severity or duration).

Not all supplements are equal. There are many poor-quality ones available, like those containing artificial sweeteners and bulking agents, often found in tablet form. You may wish to watch out for these on the ingredients list. Look out for the words “bulking agents” and sweeteners, such as sucralose, fructose and aspartame.

• Some sleeping tablets 
   
• The combined contraceptive pill 
   
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is sometimes used to improve menopause symptoms.

Some prescribed medications can act as preventers. Your GP can provide more information.

Other medications exist may spark migraines in some people. Contact your GP if you begin to have migraines after taking new medication.

• Bright lights 
   
• Flickering screens – think TV or computer screens. Taking regular screen breaks may alleviate some migraines. 
   
• Smoking, or rooms with smoky atmospheres. We signpost to some resources to support you, should you wish to stop smoking here. 
   
• Noisy sounds 
    
• Potent smells 
   
• Changes in weather conditions, especially windy or stuffy atmospheres.

Contact your GP if your headache persists and gets worse despite treatment, or if you vomit and are sensitive to light with it. Get advice if you have weakness in your limbs with your headache, or if it’s triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing or bending down. Click here for more guidance on what to do in different headache-related circumstances.

Reviewed by:

Anna Keeble MA BA Head of Content and Wellbeing Expert

Dr Brian Fisher MBBch MBE MSc FRSA – Clinical Director

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