BALTIMORE -- The holiday season sets off a migraine season for many people -- especially women.

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With all the holiday parties, stress of shopping and tension of making everything perfect for your family, you need to have a plan of attack.

Lorraine Novak suffers from migraine headaches, something Dr. Dana Simpler, of Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, said could get worse over the holidays.

"You need a strategy for keeping yourself from getting too many headaches during the holiday season," Novak said.

"I used to think I had to be, I guess, a Mary Poppins type of person and do everything and have this picture-perfect image in my mind -- and you just can't do it," Novak said.

But Novak has a strategy.

"I use a lot of the prepared things that are out on the market nowadays, and it has helped a lot," she said.

And she's going to avoid the holiday foods that can trigger migraines, including chocolate and wine. Other possible triggers are cheese, nuts and processed meats (like bacon and sausage).

Simpler said decoration overload can also trigger migraines in some people.

"Blinking lights -- we see a lot of those over the holidays," she said.

And be careful of perfume counters and other strong perfume scents like potpourri. Those can be migraine triggers, too. Simpler advised avoiding those items, getting plenty of sleep and getting your holiday shopping done early.

"If you're so stressed out, then you're not going to be any good to your family and your friends. So you want to enjoy yourself, too," Simpler said.

Tension headaches are also more common around the holidays for some of the same reasons as migraines, especially stress.