What Is A Migraine Headache?

An estimated 29 million Americans are afflicted by migraines and that is about 10 percent of the population. Migraines trouble women roughly 3 times more often than men and migraines are not confined to adults with a substantial number of children afflicted by them as well. Attacks last anything from a few hours to several days and with longer attacks victims generally experience secondary effects for longer periods. Despite the fact that migraine headaches are so common close to 50% of all sufferers never see a physician about the condition.

One frequent symptom of a migraines is an acute and throbbing pain on one side of the head which is generally localized close to the temple. It is also often accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting and a sensitivity to both noise and light.

The precise causes of migraine headaches are not known and, in spite of the fact that for a long time it was suspected they were the result of a dilation of the blood vessels, modern research now tends to favor alternative explanations. In addition, though there is no good consensus of opinion, a lot of researchers believe that the migraine is a genetic disorder that affects the manner in which certain chemicals in the brain such as serotonin interact with the nerve cells.

The complexity in explaining the mystery of migraine headaches is amplified by the simple fact that they come in two types.

The first form is known as 'classical migraine' and is connected with something which professionals call an 'aura'. This has nothing to do with spiritual fields surrounding the body but refers to the symptoms experienced by sufferers just before the onset of a migraine headache. For these migraine victims it is common to experience visual hallucinations such as bright spots and flickering lights or even to suffer loss of vision immediately before the onset of a migraine headache.

When there are no visual symptoms victims are said to suffer from the second class of migraine headaches.

Trying to pin down just what gives rise to migraine headaches is anything but simple although data collected over the years may point to the final answer. For example, individuals who experience a lack of sleep can be at greater risk, as are individuals who experience too much sleep which has been correlated with a greater incidence. Migraine attacks are also generally associated with eating certain foods such as cheese and to skipping meals.

Many researchers also consider that certain hormonal factors have a bearing on both the start and severity of migraine attacks and one piece of evidence to support this is the much higher incidence of migraine headaches among women than men. Indeed, one particular study revealed an incidence of 17% in men as opposed to only 6% in men. Furthermore, studies have revealed a connection between the contraceptive pill and migraines and it is known that Estrogen, which is a major component of contraceptive pills, has an effect upon blood vessels.

But the list of triggers does not end here and several everyday activities such as walking up stairs or more intensive physical exertion can trigger an attack, as can stress, exposure to extremes of heat and cold and exposure to loud noises and flickering lights. It has also been reported that migraine headaches arise more often when there is a combination of these trigger factors present.

Happily, there are a number of medical treatments available, though none has been shown to be tremendously effective in all cases, and keeping a diary of when attacks occur will often help you to identify lifestyle changes that may help in curing your migraines. Where changes to your lifestyle on their own do not do work then there are a variety of drugs that your physician can prescribe to help.

Many people suffer from migraines but exactly what are migraines and what causes them?

TheMigraineHeadacheCenter.com provides migrane headache information including details of migraine headache treatment

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