Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving migraine triggers hit me every year!\u00a0 I have lived with migraine for decades, and I\u2019ve had many Thanksgivings dampened. Understanding what triggers my migraine attacks on Thanksgiving and ways to avoid them have helped. Thanksgiving brings a schedule change, travel, change in sleep, diet, and movement along with stress and anxiety that all add up to a spike in my migraine attacks. There are some things I do to avoid these Thanksgiving migraine triggers that have helped me over the years. What Triggers Migraine on Thanksgiving? And What to Do Learn from the Past Keeping a migraine diary where you note down what you eat, your activities and any environmental factors on migraine attack days can help identify patterns and specific triggers. This information can guide you in making informed choices to minimize or avoid triggers during Thanksgiving and other events. Be Mindful of Food\u00a0 Identify Trigger Foods: Common Thanksgiving Migraine Foods: Aged cheese, processed meats, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, nuts, and alcohol can trigger migraine on Thanksgiving for some. Avoidance or Moderation: If you\u2019re aware of specific triggers, try to avoid or limit their consumption. Opt for alternatives or smaller portions. Bring your own. For migraine-friendly food options are all individual but I tend to follow Dizzy Cook. I alter the recipes according to my sensitivities, but overall love her food and purpose! Stay Hydrated Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Dehydration can sometimes worsen migraine symptoms, so try to drink plenty of water and consider hydration tablets if traveling. Manage Stress Plan Ahead: Organize tasks in advance, delegate responsibilities, and don\u2019t hesitate to ask for help. Take Breaks: Schedule short breaks throughout the day to relax and unwind. Sometimes lying down in a calm environment can ease the symptoms. Applying a cold compress or ice pack to your head might relieve you. Headache Hat is my favorite! Try relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or taking short breaks to manage stress levels. Keep a Routine Maintain your regular sleep and meal schedule as much as possible. The migraine brain likes consistency. When talking about Thanksgiving weekend, consistency is usually really hard to achieve. So the best thing I can do is limit the amount of things I\u2019m changing. If I\u2019m staying up late then I\u2019m sure to be consistent with my diet. If I\u2019m drinking more than usual then I am careful to up my hydration. If consistency isn\u2019t possible, limiting the amount of changes may help. Avoid Sensory Triggers Avoid Strong Scents: Stay away from strong perfumes, scented candles, or overwhelming cooking aromas if they are a Thanksgiving migraine trigger. Manage Lighting: If bright lights are a trigger, consider dimming the lights or finding a quieter space. I always bring my glasses for light sensitivity relief. Knowing my limits with these triggers is important. This is when breaks come in handy. Walking away, decompressing, and lessening stimulation around me can help from my migraine attacks from escalating. If you are traveling with migraine, here are my essentials. Create a Comfortable Environment Create a Relaxing Space: If possible, designate a quiet room where you can retreat if the celebration gets overwhelming. When preparing food and in a busy household, I tend to offer to do jobs where the lighting is low, the sound is low and I\u2019m sitting. I\u2019m honest about being around the swirl of triggers and how it makes me feel. If there is too chaotic of an environment then I need to retreat to a quieter darker space on Thanksgiving. Be Prepared with Medication Take Medications: If your doctor has prescribed medications for migraine prevention, make sure to take them as directed, especially if you anticipate migraine triggers during Thanksgiving.\u00a0 Have Rescue Medication Handy: Keep any rescue medications you might have prescribed by your doctor readily accessible. In addition to medication, I bring my migraine products everywhere I go. Seek Support Let someone trusted know you\u2019re not feeling well. Sometimes just having someone around who understands can be comforting. Before Thanksgiving, I try to update my friends or family about triggers or environments that may be helpful. Don\u2019t assume those around you understand what you are going through. If your family and friends are not supportive, reach out to those that are during this time. You can always find me on social if you need to reach out Modify Celebrations If possible, see if you can participate in a more subdued manner or take breaks as needed throughout the day. I have missed out on so many holidays and my goal is to participate in a way that is healthiest for me overall. This often means modifications on what I\u2019d like to do or how my family would like me to. Remember, it\u2019s okay to prioritize your health. If you must excuse yourself from festivities to take care of yourself, your well-being comes first. Every person\u2019s triggers can be different, so it\u2019s essential to identify what specifically triggers your migraine attacks and take steps to manage them during Thanksgiving celebrations. Plan and communicate your needs to those around you if possible to ensure a more comfortable holiday experience. Holidays with Migraine Thanksgiving migraine triggers are carried over from holiday to holiday. Check out how I deal with migraine during other times of the year. Post Thanksgiving Migraine Before Thanksgiving, I posted about being thankful and planned on posting a follow-up with all of the beautiful things my readers shared. Thank you for your inspiration! Eventually, I updated my Grateful post and you can check them out there. Guess what happened? Yep, I was very\u00a0migraine sick\u00a0all through Thanksgiving. I no longer feel guilty about lying on the couch;\u00a0my kids\u00a0piled on top of me to watch the parade, and I had no clue how excruciatingly awful I felt. I feel sorry for myself. Therefore, I don\u2019t usually allow myself to go down the negative route, but the truth is, missing and being missed is sad. The holidays aren\u2019t accessible; they just aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-migraine-headache"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Thanksgiving](\"https:\/\/www.mymigrainelife.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Thanksgiving-Do-300x300.jpg\"\/)
![\"Thanksgiving](\"https:\/\/www.mymigrainelife.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Thanksgiving-Do-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n