There aren’t really any tricks. For me it was a rough 4 days getting adjusted. Drinking LOTS of water helped the transition. After the 4 days, I felt significantly better with far more energy. The feeling of hunger was difficult at first, but that ‘wave’ passed after about 30 minutes.
But seriously, if you are feeling unwell, talk to your doctor before continuing. There may be other issues. Good luck!
Great video on how to reduce them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B46gQhfeqk
TLDR
Fasting is not a trigger for me. Eating crappy foods is. So IF has helped me a bit. I still get one a week on average though. Over Christmas I had three in one week 😞 But I wasn’t eating well or sticking to my IF.
With that said, everyone has different triggers and that’s just my experience.
16:8 works fine for me, I could push 18:6 too, but I think more than that could be a trigger. Idk for sure, whenever I try to pinpoint the trigger it just seems like everything else could also be a factor - stress, wrong foods, withdrawal from caffeine, wrong sitting position leading to back ache… period/hormones and so on.
I’d say try to keep hydrated, have enough electrolytes, if you drink caffeine then drink it without milk/cream and you should be fine. Maybe start small with 16:8
Good luck
I suffer from chronic migraines (since 6 years old, migraine symptoms at least 50% of days). I currently do 12 hours fasting, sometimes 14 but any more than that I found was resulting in making my migraines worse. Blood sugar levels are quite important with regards to migraines and after 12-14 hours when I start to get light-headed I know it’s beginning to trigger migraine symptoms, if not an actual migraine. I did 16:8 for two months last year, thinking eventually my body would adjust, but I’m pretty certain doing that made my migraines worse. 12-14 hours is good for me now, but on days where my neck/head is triggering off, I have to break the fast earlier to avoid setting off a severe migraine. Eating large, slow-release meals in the evening seems to help me with regards to migraines and IF. I have noticed that almost everyone who does IF with longer periods doesn’t manage complex neurological issues such as migraines. Don’t put yourself through more than necessary because it works well for some people that don’t have your condition - definitely worth experimenting but listen to your body if it makes your migraines worse because you don’t want to set off a bad cycle that’s difficult to get out from.
Also, people talk about drinking lots and lots of water, be careful about when you do this because upsetting the electrolyte balance can be a migraine trigger so needs to be managed carefully, e.g. potassium levels etc.. I’m not sure people that just down loads and loads of water all day long actually understand how hydration works. Again, works well for some, not for everyone - drinking too much water is a migraine trigger for me.