Migraine Triggers May Not Trigger Migraines; Lights and Exercise

If you get migraines, exercise and bright lights may not be the things that trigger it. A new study, published online in the journal Neurology, examined the likelihood of a migraine being triggered in patients who were exposed to bright, flashing lights and bouts of intense exercise.

Anders Hougaard and his team from the Danish Headache Center, Copenhagen, recruited 27 patients--17 women and 10 men--with migraine aura who reported that bright or flickering light or strenuous exercise would trigger their migraine headaches.

The researchers then placed the patients in various situations to try and trigger these headaches. During 30 and 40 minute sessions, the researchers had patients run or pedal on a stationary bicycle until they reached 80 percent of their maximum heart rate. In some sessions, the scientists also introduced bright or flashing lights. In other sessions, the scientists only introduced the lights and did not have the participants exercise.

Even with these disturbances, though, only a handful of the patients experienced any sort of migraine with an aura--three patients total. An additional 11 percent experienced migraines without auras. All of the patients who experienced migraines had exercised at some point during the study.

The findings show that triggers for migraines are not certain when people are actually exposed to them. In fact, symptoms such as tiredness, excitement, depression or cravings for certain foods could actually be mistaken for triggers. For example, if you have a craving for chocolate, then eat chocolate and then receive a migraine, is it the chocolate that caused it or was the craving a symptom?

Whatever the case, the study shows that triggers may not be as defined as we once thought. Researchers argue that while trigger avoidance is important, it shouldn't consume a patient's life. In fact, the study hints that long-held beliefs about avoiding triggers that could induce migraines with aura may be outdated.