What triggers migraines?
Common migraine triggers that people report include stress (and the let-down after it), too little or disrupted sleep, skipped meals, dehydration, hormonal changes, alcohol, caffeine changes, and bright or flickering light. Triggers are highly personal, though — they rarely act alone, and what affects one person may do nothing to another.
Common reported triggers
The triggers people most often mention include emotional stress and, notably, the relaxation after a stressful period; irregular sleep, whether too little or too much; missing or delaying meals; not drinking enough; hormonal shifts around the menstrual cycle; alcohol, especially red wine; changes in caffeine intake; strong smells; and bright, glaring or flickering light. Weather changes come up too, though the evidence there is mixed. This is a list of associations reported across many people — not a checklist that applies to you specifically.
Why triggers are tricky
Two things make triggers hard to pin down. First, they usually stack: a single skipped lunch might be harmless on a well-rested day but tip you over after a bad night and a stressful week. Second, some 'triggers' are actually early symptoms — food cravings or yawning in the prodrome can be mistaken for a cause when they're really the attack already beginning. Because of this, chasing one suspected trigger from a single bad day often leads you astray.
How tracking helps
The reliable way to find your triggers is to log migraine days alongside possible factors and look for patterns over months, not to draw conclusions from one attack. Genuine triggers show up as repeated associations; false ones fade. Temple records that history so real patterns can surface — it documents associations and doesn't diagnose, treat or predict attacks. Temple is a tracking tool, not medical advice — for anything specific to you, consult a healthcare professional.
Temple logs each migraine day beside its possible triggers, so real, repeated associations rise above the noise of a single bad day.
Common questions
- What are the most common migraine triggers?
- Frequently reported triggers include stress and post-stress let-down, disrupted sleep, skipped meals, dehydration, hormonal changes, alcohol, caffeine changes and bright or flickering light. They're personal and usually act in combination, so the general list is a starting point, not a diagnosis of your own triggers.
- How do I know which triggers affect me?
- By tracking. Recording your migraine days next to possible factors over several months lets genuine, repeated associations stand out from coincidences. One bad day proves little; a pattern across many is what points to your personal triggers.