This is an attempt to figure out what caused it. It is also an example of how it’s pretty difficult to figure out what actually causes a migraine from day to day.

Slept from 12 to 9:30AM. Breakfast was French Toast and Eggs. Skipped Coffee. Went swimming out in the sun for about an hour (had sunscreen on). First started feeling a headache and getting dizzy and progressed into a migraine - 11:30AM. Had pizza and root beer for lunch. Took a midday nap for about an hour at 12:30PM. Woke up with throbbing migraine. Took Aleve. Drank 1000ml of water (not that that helps really). Drank a cup of coffee. Migraine went away at about 2PM.

If I take Aleve quickly enough I can usually stop a migraine within an hour or two. If I take it too late then the Aleve does nothing and the migraine can sometimes last until the next day.

Why does this timeline matter? It matters because it’s an example of how anything could have caused the migraine especially when there are so many confounding factors at play.

  1. Woke up later than usual.
  2. Didn’t drink my normal coffee in the morning, withdrawal/craving?
  3. Out in the sun too long?
  4. I had sunscreen on, sensitivity to the sunscreen chemicals?
  5. Didn’t eat enough for breakfast + craving more substantial food, needing to eat lunch earlier?
  6. Something else entirely not listed here?

Sometimes you just can’t figure it out - you just gotta take the meds quickly and move on.