This might be your migraine trigger without you knowing it.. and a possible cure.

Apologies for the click bait title but I think this information has a lot of value and could help many people if they really listen, absorb it and act. I suffered migraines with aura for years before I discovered the cause, I get the full works, blind spots, expanding halo of flashing zig zag lines followed by agonizing headache, nausea, vomiting and dry retching. My trigger is dehydration.. please don't switch off because you think it isn't your trigger or it can't be that simple or I'm confusing dehydration headaches with migraines. I discovered it purely by accident so I'm sure many people have this trigger without realizing it. I honestly believe the underlying cause of the majority of peoples migraines is dehydration even though other triggers like physical exertion, stress, alcohol, coffee or certain foods may appear on the surface to be the trigger. If I exercise as soon as I get up in a morning when I'm dehydrated, as you usually are first thing, I get migraines, if I wait and water up and allow time for it to get into my system, I don't. Stress raises the blood pressure like exercise, it may look like stress is the trigger but if you were dehydrated at the time then that was probably the real cause and if you had been fully hydrated your body would have dealt with the stress without the migraine. If I drink alcohol, especially wine or spirits which have less water volume than beers, and I don't drink plenty of fluids with it, or after it, I can get migraines, with plenty of water no migraine. Alcohol dehydrates as do tea and coffee especially if that's all your drinking. Starchy foods or bulky foods dehydrate you if you don't drink enough water with them. My point is that these supposed triggers are just that, final triggers, tipping points that are masking the underlying cause which is dehydration. It's a fact that most people are chronically dehydrated without knowing it, you probably are right now. It's actually difficult to remain fully hydrated even when you are trying as I know to my cost. If you suffer regular migraines or migraines at certain times or in certain situations you need to take a look at how hydrated you were at that time or in general on an ongoing basis. The simple way to do it is to monitor the colour of your urine, seriously, if you suffer migraines the colour of your urine should be an ongoing daily obsession. It should be pale to clear, if it's yellow your dehydrated and the darker it gets the more dehydrated you are. Have a look next time, there's a good chance it's yellow.. it shouldn't be, dehydration is therefore a possible migraine trigger for you. The solution of course is to stay hydrated which isn't as easy as it sounds and involves having the discipline to drink water or something similar at regular times through the day and after certain crucial events. Just drinking cups of coffee and tea through the day won't do it, by all means drink them but in addition to regular water. As soon as you get out of bed you should start rehydrating with a large glass of water, 8 hours in bed is a long time without a drink, you're dehydrated, your urine will tell you that straight away. After every meal drink plenty of fluids, if you are sweating because of the weather or physical activity you need fluids, when you drink alcohol you need water before and after, when you go to bed you need a large glass of water to see you through the night. You'll be visiting the toilet a lot more and getting up in the night as well but that's how it should be and that's how it is for the people who are already properly hydrated. If you have specific times or activities that bring on migraines you need to make sure you're hydrated well beforehand. Drinking just before you exercise for instance won't cut it, you need a few hours for it to get into your system, better still you should be fully hydrated 24/7 due to careful hydration through the day and night. Finally if you were previously dehydrated and you are now hydrating properly you will gain a pound or two, please don't worry about that, it's healthy, it's not fat it's just water weight that should have been there in the first place, it disappears in a matter of hours as soon as you stop hydrating properly although you will get your migraines back. A long post but for those that stayed with me, particularly the ones who are suffering the misery of daily migraines, this could be a life changing 5 minutes provided you are open minded and prepared to give it a try. It's not easy, it's not just about casually trying to drink a bit more, it requires discipline and an ongoing commitment to stick to a plan, watch your urine colour... it works, it's worth it, trust me. Hope this helps someone.

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