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How Can You Recognize A Migraine Headache And Precisely What Are Its Symptoms?
One of the commonest migraine symptoms is a sharp throbbing pain which is usually located on one side of the head close to the area of the temple. Unlike normal headaches, migraines are also frequently accompanied by other symptoms which include sensitivity to noise and light, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Migraines are reasonably common and affect about 10% of the population of the United States, or over 28 million Americans. They are also far more commonly experienced by women rather than men (about three times as many women suffer from migraine headaches) and can also be see occasionally in children.
Despite the fact that migraines are so common and generally very painful with attacks lasting anything from a matter of hours to several days, only about half of all sufferers consult their physician and the rest choose to suffer in silence.
It had long been thought these headaches resulted from a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, despite the fact that there is no general consensus, medical opinion appears to be moving away from this theory in favor of a genetic basis for this condition. Current thinking is that migraines are produced by the interaction of certain brain chemicals such as serotonin with the nerve cells. Right now however the truth is that we really do not know what cause migraines.
There are in fact two different forms of migraine, the first of which is referred to as 'classical migraine', which is characterized by an accompanying 'aura'. In this case the term 'aura' is used to refer to visual light effects which are experienced immediately before the onset of a headache including things like flashing lights and bright light spots. In a few people a complete loss of vision can be experienced for several minutes before the arrival of the headache.
The second type of migraine headache is a migraine with no 'aura'.
Just as we do not really know what causes a migraine, so too we have little idea about just what gives rise to an attack, though there are several factors which do seem likely to trigger an attack. For example, getting too much sleep appears to be one factor and so does missing meals or eating particular types of food like cheese.
Hormonal factors are also thought to influence the onset and severity of attacks and one piece of evidence for this is 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 contraceptive pills (containing estrogen) and migraines.
However, just to confuse matters studies have also demonstrated that simple everyday activities such as climbing a flight of stairs can trigger a migraine attack, as can exposure to heat or cold, loud noises, flashing lights and occasionally stress.
Luckily, there are a number of migraine treatments available, though no one treatment has proved to be really effective in all cases. One thing which we do know though is that over-the-counter medicines are rarely effective and, if you suffer from migraines, you would be best advised to seek the help of your physician in finding an answer that works for you.
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