Exactly What Are Migrane Headaches?

By Author: Donald Saunders
Total Articles: 84
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An estimated twenty-nine million Americans are afflicted by migraines and that represents approximately 10 percent of the population. Migraine headaches trouble women about three times more often than men and migraines are not restricted to adults with a substantial number of children experiencing them as well. An attack lasts anything from a just few hours to three or four days and with longer attacks victims commonly have secondary effects for far longer. In spite of the fact that migraine headaches are so common close to 50% of all sufferers do not bother to see a physician about their condition.

A frequent symptom of a migraine 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 various other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting and a sensitivity to both noise and light.

The exact causes of migraine headaches are not known and, in spite of the fact that for many years it was suspected that they were the result of a dilation of the blood vessels, Current research now favors alternative explanations. As well, In spite of the ...
... fact that there is no good consensus of opinion, a lot of researchers believe that the migraine is a genetic disorder that affects the way 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 increased by the simple fact that migraine headaches come in two forms.

The first type is referred to as 'classical migraine' and is linked with something which the professionals term an 'aura'. The aura has nothing to do with mystic 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 flickering lights and bright spots or even to experience loss of vision just before the arrival of a migraine headache.

When these visual symptoms are absent victims are said to suffer from the second form of migraine headaches.

Trying to pin down precisely what causes migraine headaches is far from simple although research data collected over many years could point to the eventual answer. For example, people who do not get enough sleep can be at higher risk, as are people who have too much sleep which has been correlated with a higher incidence. Attacks are also often linked to eating certain food items such as cheese and to skipping meals.

Many researchers also think that certain hormonal factors influence both the start and severity of migraine attacks and one piece of evidence in support of this is the far higher incidence of migraine headaches in women than men. In fact, one study revealed an incidence of 17% in men as opposed to only 6% in men. Moreover, studies have shown a connection between contraceptive pills and migraines and it is known that Estrogen, which is a major ingredient in contraceptive pills, affects the blood vessels.

But the list of factors which trigger migraines does not end here and a variety of 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 flickering lights and loud noises. It has also been noted that migraine headaches occur more often with a combination of these trigger factors present.

Luckily, there are a number of medical treatments available, although none can really be said to be tremendously effective in all cases, and completing a diary of when attacks occur will often help you to identify lifestyle changes which could help in curing your migraines. Where changes to your lifestyle on their own do not do the trick then there are various medicines that your doctor can prescribe.