How does migraine occur

Episodes often occur in people aged 18—44 years, but they can happen at any time, including during childhood. A prodrome can also include yawning, dizziness, thirst, frequent urination, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Sometimes an aura can occur. This involves physical or sensory symptoms, such as flashing lights in the field of vision. During the headache: Alongside a mild to severe, throbbing or pulsing headache, symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, neck pain, dizziness, and nasal congestion. Resolution: After the headache, tiredness and irritability may last another 2 days.

Other symptoms may include sweating, feeling unusually hot or cold, a stomachache, and diarrhea. Find out what else can cause a headache, nausea, and fatigue here. A migraine episode is different from a typical headache. The experience is different, and they can have different causes. Writing down the symptoms and when they occur can help a person and their healthcare professional identify migraine episodes.

Keep this journal for at least 8 weeks, and note down:. Learn more about the differences between migraine and a headache here. Genetic features may also play a role — having a family history of migraine is a common risk factor.

Migraine triggers vary from person to person. They commonly include:. What causes headaches? Find out here. Migraine can be a debilitating condition that is underdiagnosed and challenging to treat. People of Color are less likely to receive the diagnosis of migraine and the treatment than white people. These disparities can impact treatment and therapies. While these figures could lead to the conclusion that white people experience more migraine episodes than other groups, an analysis of nine studies looking at the average prevalence of severe headache or migraine from to in the U.

Furthermore, females in all groups were approximately twice as likely to experience migraine episodes than males. Overall, studies that discuss migraine and use racial and ethnic differences for clarity often do not consider contributing factors. Further research is warranted, and this should consider behavioral, environmental, genetic, and socioeconomic factors, as well as access to healthcare.

United Arab Emirates. Hong Kong. New Zealand. Puerto Rico. Saudi Arabia. South Africa. Sri Lanka. United Kingdom. United States. Search Submit. Tension Sinus Nighttime. Causes Prevention Tips Treatment. This leads to throbbing pain. Other data suggest that lower levels of estrogen make facial and scalp nerves more sensitive to pain. People who get migraines may be able to identify triggers that seem to kick off the symptoms.

Some possible triggers include the following:. The American Headache Society suggests documenting triggers in a headache diary. Taking this information with you when you visit your healthcare provider helps him or her to identify headache management strategies. Some people get migraines once or twice a week.

Others, only once or twice a year. Most of the time, migraines are not a threat to your overall health. But migraine attacks can interfere with your day-to-day life. The exact cause of migraine is not fully understood. Most researchers think that migraine is due to abnormal changes in levels of substances that are naturally produced in the brain. When the levels of these substances increase, they can cause inflammation.

This inflammation then causes blood vessels in the brain to swell and press on nearby nerves, causing pain. Genes also have been linked to migraine. People who get migraines may have abnormal genes that control the functions of certain brain cells. Experts do know that people with migraines react to a variety of factors and events, called triggers. These triggers can vary from person to person and don't always lead to migraine. A combination of triggers — not a single thing or event — is more likely to set off an attack.

A person's response to triggers also can vary from migraine to migraine. Many women with migraine tend to have attacks triggered by:. To pinpoint your migraine triggers, keep a headache diary. Each day you have a migraine headache, put that in your diary. Also write down the:. Talk with your doctor about what sets off your headaches to help find the right treatment for you. Yes, there are many forms of migraine.

The two forms seen most often are migraine with aura and migraine without aura. Migraine with aura previously called classical migraine. With a migraine with aura, a person might have these sensory symptoms the so-called "aura" 10 to 30 minutes before an attack:. Only one in five people who get migraine experience an aura. Women have this form of migraine less often than men. Migraine without aura previously called common migraine. With this form of migraine, a person does not have an aura but has all the other features of an attack.

Compared with migraine, tension-type headache is generally less severe and rarely disabling. Compare your symptoms with those in this chart to see what type of headache you might be having. Adapted from a table produced by the American Council for Headache Education.

Although fatigue and stress can bring on both tension and migraine headaches, migraines can be triggered by certain foods, changes in the body's hormone levels, and even changes in the weather. There also are differences in how types of headaches respond to treatment with medicines. Although some over-the-counter drugs used to treat tension-type headaches sometimes help migraine headaches, the drugs used to treat migraine attacks do not work for tension-type headaches for most people.

You can't tell the difference between a migraine and a tension-type headache by how often they occur. Both can occur at irregular intervals. Also, in rare cases, both can occur daily or almost daily.

Many people confuse a sinus headache with a migraine because pain and pressure in the sinuses, nasal congestion, and watery eyes often occur with migraine. To find out if your headache is sinus or migraine, ask yourself these questions:. A true sinus headache is rare and usually occurs due to sinus infection. In a sinus infection, you would also likely have a fever and thick nasal secretions that are yellow, green, or blood-tinged.

A sinus headache should go away with treatment of the sinus infection. Sometimes, headache can signal a more serious problem. You should talk to your doctor about your headaches if:. If you think you get migraine headaches, talk with your doctor. Before your appointment, write down:. Your doctor may also do an exam and ask more questions about your health history. This could include past head injury and sinus or dental problems. Your doctor may be able to diagnose migraine just from the information you provide.

You may get a blood test or other tests, such as CT scan or MRI, if your doctor thinks that something else is causing your headaches.

Work with your doctor to decide on the best tests for you. Migraines are most common in women between the ages of 20 and At this time of life women often have more job, family, and social duties. Women tend to report more painful and longer lasting headaches and more symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.