Migraines are a uniquely painful headache. People usually describe the pain associated with migraine headaches as pulsating or throbbing. These headaches are typically worsened with exposure to bright light or noise. The pain associated with migraines is so severe that it can even induce vomiting.

Migraines are often triggered by environmental conditions such as poor air quality. Several cities carry severe risk factors for people who suffer from migraines:

1. Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati is a perfect storm of migraine triggers. The worst cities for migraines don’t always share a particular issue. But what they do have in common is an overabundance of potential issues. The worst cities for migraines tend to have a huge collection of potential migraine triggers. This dramatically raises the chances of random people who suffer from migraines matching with their worst migraine triggers. Cincinnati has an impressive collection of migraine triggers. The local diet is one of the most significant issues. Locals tend to enjoy foods and beverages with a high chance of inducing migraines. The average lifestyle in Cincinnati is also more prone to hurt migraine sensitive people.

2. Madison, WI
Madison features many of the same issues as Cincinnati. In particular the lifestyle chosen by locals tends to promote migraines. Dietary choices tend to include foods which commonly trigger migraines. Additionally the average diet is less healthy than in most of the U.S. Madison’s average activity level is also fairly low. Both of these factors have resulted in an obesity rate of 41.2% within Madison’s adult population. Obesity is itself a severe risk factor for migraines. Add Madison’s other migraine triggers, such as unpredictable Great Lake weather, and one can see why it ranks so high.

3. Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR
Madison often triggers migraines through unpredictable weather. However, Little Rock’s weather is predictably bad for people with migraines. It tends to combine extreme heat and humidity in the summer with heavy storms. On top of this the barometric pressure which comes along with a storm will often create additional risk factors for migraine sufferers.

4. Knoxville, TN
Tennessee suffers from many of the same issues as Little Rock. The weather tends to be milder on average. This makes it less of a migraine issue overall. However, the summer months have a difficult combination of extreme heat and humidity which tends to cause problems for migraine sufferers.

5. St. Louis, MO
St. Louis offers a number of examples of multiple migraine triggers working in conjunction. One of the larger issues involves food preferences among locals. The choices themselves tend to favor ingredients which are known migraine triggers. And a caloric excess in serving sizes has resulted in 61% of the population classified as overweight or obese. These lifestyle related issues are among the most prevalent causes of migraines in St. Louis. There are some additional, and unique, migraine risks within the St. Louis area as well. Stress is one of the most common migraine triggers. Any given area will always have some stressful moments. However, St. Louis is considered by many to be the most dangerous city in America. Cities as a whole are more stressful than towns. And one can imagine the extent of the stress which comes from living in the most dangerous city in the U.S. People subject to stress induced migraines have a difficult burden to endure from living in St. Louis.