While migraines are often labeled as extreme headaches, nothing could be further from the truth. Migraines are a neurological disorder characterized by throbbing head pain and often accompanied by nausea and light sensitivity. Some migraine sufferers can also experience extreme side effects like tunnel vision, inability to speak clearly, or tinnitus. Additionally migraines and the accompanying physical effects can last for hours, or even days.

The best way to prevent the onset of a migraine is to avoid common triggers as much as possible:

1. Cigarette smoke
While carbon monoxide fumes are often the culprit behind headaches, the odor from cigarettes can cause migraines for sensitive individuals. Additionally, some people are allergic to cigarette smoke which can cause migraines just by being exposed to the smell. People who experience migraines caused by smoke are encouraged to avoid situations where they will be exposed to secondhand smoke and to avoid smoking themselves.

2. Food odors
Many migraine sufferers find that strong food odors can trigger a migraine, and often this trigger is instantaneous. Food smells that are most likely to cause a migraine are fatty fast food smells, fried foods, and cooking onions. This trigger can easily be avoided by limiting the types of food cooked, restaurants visited, and by keeping windows open during cooking.

3. Perfumes
Due to the large amount of chemicals that are in many mainstream perfumes and colognes, it’s one of the most common olfactory triggers for a migraine attack. These chemicals cause the blood vessels that reside in the brain to pulsate and swell which causes the intense pressure that accompanies migraines. Many migraine sufferers who are triggered by perfume can find relief by using alternative, natural products devoid of artificial fragrances.

4. Cleaning chemicals
Second to perfume, cleaning chemicals are the next common cause of smell triggered migraines. Like perfume these harsh, strong smells cause blood vessels to become agitated and swell and trigger a sort of allergic reaction. Natural, non-toxic cleaning supplies should be used in place of harsh, chemical laden commercial cleaning products to limit exposure to these strong scents and prevent further migraines.

5. Candles or air fresheners
More products that are often filled with strong, migraine inducing odors are candles and air fresheners. Many commercial candles and air fresheners rely on chemical based fragrances which can irritate individuals with sensitive olfactory systems and cause painful migraines. Luckily there are many forms of odor eliminators now that utilize naturally derived ingredients to keep homes smelling fresh without irritating sensitive systems.

While migraines are often debilitating, causing many extreme physical side effects, thankfully we now have access to chronic migraine information and with that have found ways to prevent and counteract them. Environmental changes can lessen the frequency of migraines, and there are now remedies on the market to help during a migraine so that the sufferer can return to their normal life quicker. Over the counter medications like Advil migraine medication for headaches can be great for counteracting the debilitating effects of migraines, and may allow users to function by providing migraine headache relief.