The hunt for things which might trigger a migraine is a continuing quest for those working hard to stay away from the often unbearable pain that follows in the wake of a migraine attack. Stress is probably the best known of all migraine triggers and those people who suffer from this neurological condition try hard to either avoid stress or to mitigate the effects as much as they can. Some other triggers to avoid are chocolate, alcohol, nicotine, and even nuts.

There is however some folklore which suggests that weather might trigger migraine headaches, so is this true?

Chronic back pain and also arthritis sufferers accept that the their pain is significantly affected by the weather and this lends weight to the view of chronic migraine sufferers that weather can also adversely influence their ability to steer clear of migraine headaches.

The announcement of a forthcoming pressure system might well be an indication of the arrival of a storm to many people but for those people who suffer from migraines it frequently spells trouble. The change in the weight of the air affects the ease with which oxygen is breathed and moved around the body through the blood vessels. For instance, constrict more because of the alteration in pressure and this may be the trigger event of a migraine. It is worth noting that countering this effect using caffeine is often one of the quickest and most effective remedies.

Wind too is another feature of the weather that has migraine sufferers on edge. Even if the associated pressure changes of windy conditions are minor the fact that pollutants which could be triggers to the migraine sufferer are flying all around and cannot be avoided makes this a clear migraine trigger.

Occasionally a migraine headache may actually be the secondary effect of a different kind of headache like a sinus headache. This could present with a temperature, difficulty breathing, and various aches and pains. If added to the rapidly pain of a migraine the effect can be not only extremely painful but debilitating.

If the root cause of the sinus headache is allergens there might be a subsequent infection that the body will try to fight off. During that period there is a good chance that migraine headaches will be triggered because the body is weakened and is susceptible to stress factors.

A change in the weather not only announces the potential for one migraine headache trigger, but it actually acts as a jumping off point for a whole host of such trigger events that may cause numerous migraine attacks. Unfortunately, weather triggers are unavoidable and even staying indoors has only a limited effect when it comes to avoiding a migraine trigger event.

As a substitute therefore, it is wise to use various preventive measures to avoid a trigger event from actually taking place. In some cases this means using medication while at other times you might like to try holistic solutions to avoid migraine triggers. These might include stress relief, relaxation techniques, cardiovascular exercise, biofeedback, aromatherapy, massage therapy and also acupuncture or acupressure.