Migraines

A migraine headache is one of the worst headaches a person can experience. They are debilitating as they do not just provide pain but is usually accompanied by sensitivity to light, sound and cause nausea. Most sufferers have to lie down in a darkened bedroom, with a wet cloth over their eyes until the migraine finally goes away. A migraine headache may last from hours to days.

The cause of the migraine headache is unknown, which is exceedingly frustrating. Also, not everyone will experience a migraine in the same way. Not even the same person will have a migraine headache the same way! My migraines occur in the Spring and Fall when the seasons change. Doctors do not know if the trigger is pollen, change of the amount of sunlight per day or change in stress level.

Thankfully I only get one migraine each season but the migraine headache is not the same each time. Some migraines are very bad and feel like someone is drilling all over my skull at once. Other times my head just feels like it is stuck in a vise. Sometimes I’ll get an aura before the migraine headache starts. That at least gives me a warning so that I can get home and stop driving before it hits.

The migraine headache aura is something peculiar to the migraine headache. It is a visual disturbance that migraine sufferers will experience before the headache begins and may also occur during the rest of the headache.

I have experienced two types of aura with my migraines over the years. The aura will either be a large arch of vibrating red and blue small triangles that gradually appear and block out my vision in one eye, or it will be a hole of no vision over one eye. My left eye seems to be the one usually affected by the auras. As you can see, it is impossible to function normally with an aura that precursors a migraine headache.

After the migraine headache is over I am completely exhausted and feel ill. For those that have never had the misfortune to experience a migraine headache, it is very hard to explain the pain and recovery symptoms. It is like needing to recover from physical torture. Your body needs to recover and so does your mental state. I am lucky in that I only have a few migraine headaches a year. I really do not know how people can even live when they have several migraines a week!

Researchers across the world are grappling with theories to help explain the primary causal factors as migraine headaches affects more and more people. An estimated of 20 million people in the United States are afflicted by migraines. Studies reveal that the disease usually affects people between the ages of 10 and 40 and approximately 75% are women.

Migraine pain is caused by inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves around the brain. The exact cause of migraines is still a mystery. Some say that the condition may result from a series of reactions in the central nervous system due to changes in the body or environment. Some also say that people afflicted with migraine disorders may have inherited sensitivity to triggers from their parents or grandparents. Research also indicates that individuals with a single parent having migraines have a 50% chance of developing migraines. Several theories are there about the causes of migraines like blood flow theory suggests that blood vessels narrow or expand. Another theory focuses on chemical changes in the brain where it is suggested that an interruption in the messages sent from one cell to another to narrow or expand blood vessels cause migraine. Recently, migraines have also been related to genes where studies have shown that inheriting abnormal genes that control the functions of certain brain cells can lead to migraines.

Migraines are classified into two types. These are Classic Migraine and Common Migraine. In classic migraine, person develops visual symptom also known as aura about 10 to 30 minutes before an attack. In common migraine there is no aura, but there are other symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Migraines also affect women during menstrual changes, and are considered to be hormone-related. continue…

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