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Section 2
Common Stressors
The lifestyle, nutritional, hormonal, musculoskeletal and neurological factors that fill the migraine bucket.
17 articles
Start here
Your migraine threshold: the bucket idea
Triggers rarely act alone. They add up, and an attack happens when the total overflows.
01 · 5 min read
Lifestyle
Stress and the stress response
How the body’s stress system works, why the let-down after stress can trigger attacks, and what helps.
02 · 5 min read
Sleep and your body clock
Too little, too much, or irregular sleep can all contribute to migraine.
03 · 4 min read
Skipped meals and blood sugar swings
Why steady fuel matters for a migraine brain, and the simple fire analogy.
04 · 4 min read
Caffeine: friend and foe
Caffeine can help an attack, but regular use and withdrawal can fuel more of them.
05 · 4 min read
Light, smells, screens and the environment
Fragrances, bright and flickering light, and other sensory factors.
06 · 3 min read
Nutritional
Food sensitivities: histamine, gluten and more
Some foods can add to the bucket for some people. Here is what the research says.
07 · 6 min read
Diet quality, inflammation and body weight
Overall eating patterns, salt, antioxidants and weight all influence migraine.
08 · 4 min read
Nutrient deficiencies linked to migraine
Vitamin D, magnesium, B vitamins and CoQ10 are among the most studied.
09 · 5 min read
Hormonal
Estrogen and the menstrual cycle
Why migraine is three times more common in women, and how estrogen changes affect attacks.
10 · 5 min read
Pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause
How migraine often changes with the big hormonal transitions of life.
11 · 4 min read
Birth control, aura and stroke risk
What people with migraine, especially with aura, should know about estrogen-containing contraception.
12 · 3 min read
Hormones in men with migraine
Testosterone, estrogen and stress hormones matter in men too.
13 · 3 min read
Musculoskeletal
Neck, jaw and muscles
Neck pain and muscle tenderness are extremely common in migraine and can feed the cycle.
14 · 5 min read
Neurological
Eyes, balance and dizziness
How the visual and vestibular (balance) systems can drive migraine and vertigo.
15 · 5 min read
The autonomic nervous system
Heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and the fight-or-flight balance in migraine.
16 · 3 min read
Concussion and post-traumatic headache
How head injury and migraine interact, and why prior migraine can slow recovery.
17 · 4 min read
Keep exploring
Understanding Migraine
What migraine is, what happens in the brain, the different types, and why it deserves to be taken seriously.
The Mastering Migraine Approach
Dr. Harcourt’s four-pillar approach to care: nutritional, hormonal, musculoskeletal and neurological, built on a foundation of lifestyle.
Research library
Every study, review and guideline cited in the Mastering Migraine courses.
Mastering Migraine is an educational resource and is not a substitute for individualized medical care. Always talk with your own doctor before changing medications, starting supplements, or beginning a new treatment.
