Common Headache Triggers

Many headaches are caused by outside factors, sometimes known as triggers. The following list contains some of the more common headaches triggers.  The list may help to increase awareness of issues in your life that could be contributing to your headaches. Please list anything that you suspect may be triggering or contributing to your headaches on your headache diary.  Add more pages as you need them.

Dietary:

• Foods or beverages containing caffeine
• Chocolate
• Aged cheese
• Alcohol
• Hot dogs or bacon containing nitrites (a preservative)
• Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG), such as Chinese food
• Ice cream
• Skipping meals

Sleep:

• Too much
• Too little
• Napping

Hormonal:

• Menstruation
• Birth control pills

Emotional:

• Stress
• Anxiety

Environmental:

• Bright light
• Weather changes
• Strong odors