Just What Is A Migraine And Just What Are Its Symptoms?

One of the most frequent migraine symptoms is an acute throbbing pain that is generally located on just one side of the head near to the area of the temple. Migraine headaches are also frequently accompanied by additional symptoms that can include sensitivity to noise and light, queasiness and occasionally vomiting.

Migraines are quite common and affect about one in ten people in the United States, or over 28 million Americans. They are also far more often seen in women than in men (about 3 times more women suffer from migraine headaches) and can also be see occasionally in children.

Although migraine headaches are so common and normally very painful with an attack lasting anywhere from a matter of hours to several days, only about half of all sufferers consult their doctor and the remainder choose to suffer in silence.

It had long been thought migraine headaches resulted from a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, despite the fact that there is no general agreement, medical opinion seems to be changing in favor of a genetic cause for this problem. It is now believed that migraine headaches are produced by the interaction of brain chemicals like serotonin with the nerve cells. At this time however the truth is that we are really not sure what cause a migraine headache.

In fact there are two different forms of migraine, the first of which is known as 'classical migraine'and is characterized by an associated 'aura'. In this case the term 'aura' is used to refer to visual light effects that are experienced just before the onset of a headache including things like flashing lights and bright light spots. In a few people a complete loss of vision may be experienced for some minutes before the arrival of the headache.

The second type of migraine is simply a migraine without the 'aura'.

Just as we do not know what causes a migraine headache, we also have little idea about just what triggers an attack, although there are some factors which do appear likely to trigger an attack. For instance, too much sleep appears to be one factor and so does skipping meals or eating particular foods such as cheese.

Hormonal factors are also thought to influence the onset of attacks and their severity and this is evidenced the increased incidence of migraines among women. In part this is thought to be because of the effect of estrogen on the blood vessels and it has been noted in some studies that there is a connection between the contraceptive pill (containing estrogen) and migraine headaches.

Just to confuse matters however studies have also shown that simple everyday activities such as walking up stairs can trigger an attack, as can exposure to heat or cold, loud noises, flashing lights and even stress.

Fortunately, there are various migraine treatments available, though no one treatment is really effective in all cases. One thing which we do know though is that over-the-counter medicines are rarely effective and, if you are unlucky enough to suffer from migraine headaches, then you would be best advised to ask your doctor for help in finding an answer which works for you.