According to the Boots Web MD website, “Migraines are painful headaches often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light” (Boots Web MD). There are many possible triggers for migraines, and various different symptoms. It can be difficult to positively identify triggers of an individual’s migraine, but once discovered, the effects of migraines can be reduced.
Migraines are considered to be a common ailment. Among women, around one in four is affected by migraines and among men, around one in twelve. On average, a migraine lasts from three hours and up to three days. Each migraine can last from four hours to three days. Some migraines, however, can last even longer. (Boots Web MD).
According to the Family Doctor website, there are different types of migraine, the two most usual being the classic migraine abnd the common migraine. Yes. The most common are classic migraine and common migraine.
A classic migraine tends to begin with a warning, or an aura. This aura creates changes in a person’s vision, so they may see flashes or colours, or they may even lose some of their vision for a short time. The sufferer may experience a prinking or burning feeling, or lose muscle strength on one side of their body (Family Doctor). This can panic some people as well known stroke symptoms can be similar. The sufferer may also experience feelings of depression, irritability and restlessness. An aura usually continues from around fifteen to thirty minutes. An aura might happen before the painful head, or may be after. Sometimes the two can coincide, and at other times the pain may never develop. The headache associated with classic migraine can be located on either one side or both sides of the head (Family Doctor).
Conversely, a common migraine does not begin with the presence of an aura. A common migraine is likely to build up more slowly than a classic. It also tends to last longer than a classic. The headache of a common migraine may only be on one side of the sufferer’s head (family Doctor).
It is largely uncertain what cases migraines, but they are known to be linked to changes within the brain as well as to genetic factors. For a long while, scientists contested that migraines According to the Boots Web MD website, for many years, scientists believed that migraines were attributed to, “expanding and constricting blood vessels on the brain's surface.” Nonetheless, the popular belief now is that migraines come about by irregularities in specific parts of the brain. Furthermore, it is felt that these irregularities could be inherited (Boots Web MD).
Scientists claim that a “pain centre” for migraines is located in the brain. A migraine is set off when blood vessels constrict, and then expand. During this process, inflammatory elements are released, and these substances cause a painful pulsation (Boots Web MD).
The question of what causes migraines is a tricky one. There appear to be various possible triggers, many of which being external. Emotional stress is a common cause of migraines. A stressful event causes various chemicals to be released within the brain, and such chemicals can bring on changes in the vascular system, and this can in turn result in a migraine headache. Furthermore, a migraine can be made more painful by increased muscle tension. When an individual is repressing emotions in a stressful situation, this can lead to muscle tension; therefore, it is clear how migraines can be worsened for the sufferer. Other causes can include: sensitivity to consuming certain chemicals, drinking of withdrawing from caffeine, changeable weather, menstruation, tiredness, skipping meals and sleep pattern disturbances (Boots Web MD).
For many people, identifying the trigger of migraines can be problematic. One of the reasons for this is that the migraine may be related to several different factors. Moreover, to make matters even more confusing, a trigger may cause a migraine on some occasions and not on others. For example, consider a woman whose triggers are skipping meals, stressful situations and fluctuations in hormones. If this same woman returns home late from work one evening and goes straight to bed without eating, while her period is due, she will be very likely to have a migraine. If this woman had missed dinner on a different day, when she wasn’t already stressed and hormonal, she would be less likely to get an attack. At times, people can go for a long while without suffering from a migraine. It appears that a person’s body can be less sensitive for certain periods, and less prone to reacting to triggers (The Migraine Trust).
As well as confusion between triggers, some triggers can be identified mistakenly. For example, some individuals can crave sweet foods when they are building up to a migraine. There for, they eat something sweet, and then blame the food for the migraine that soon sets in. The Migraine Trust suggests that one of the most reliable ways of accurately identifying triggers is to keep a diary. This diary should be written daily and should note details such as times of waking and sleeping, activities on that particular day, foods and drinks consumed, the weather, menstruation patterns, and migraines or headaches if they occur. Once such a diary has been running for a significant length of time, patterns in migraine occurrences will begin to emerge. Through these patterns, a sufferer is likely to be able to identify likely triggers (The Migraine Trust).
Migraines can be very painful, even frightening experiences for sufferers. Accurately identifying an individual’s triggers can be problematic, but it is worth investing some time in order to limit the interruptions to daily life that migraines can cause.
Works Cited
Boots Web MD. “Migraines and Headaches.” 2011. Web. 6 July 2011.
http://www.webmd.boots.com/women/guide/migraines-headaches-migraines
Family Doctor. “Migraine Headaches: Ways to Deal with the Pain.” 2011. Web. 6 July 2011.
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/brain/disorders/127.html
The Migraine Trust. “Your Triggers.” 2011. Web. 6 July 2011.
http://www.migrainetrust.org/migraine-
triggers?gclid=CNayouuG8KkCFQEd4QodUUJFWQ
