• An intense, pounding headache that only affects one side
• Auras, or warning signs, which might be seeing bright spots or zig-zag patterns that aren’t really there. They tend to disappear when the headache begins
• Nausea and vomiting. Migraine headaches are often called “sick headaches,” because of this symptom
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Numbness or tingling on the same side of the body as the headache

Migraines are caused when the blood vessels in the head dilate a great deal. The pain doesn’t come from the brain, as the brain has no pain receptors, but from the lining of the brain, or the meninges, the scalp, muscles of the head, and their blood vessels. Sometimes the blood vessels in the temple and the neck can be seen to be dilated. Placing cold compresses on them can bring relief, even temporarily.

Some specialists believe that people who suffer from frequent migraines also have a deficiency of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter. One of its roles is to help regulate relaxation or constriction of blood vessels.

Migraine Symptoms: Types of Migraine

Some doctors divide migraines into three classes: common, classic and complicated. Interestingly, the symptoms of a complicated migraine may not produce pain. However, this sort of migraine headache has terrible and unpredictable neurological symptoms, like speech disorders, palsy, and hemiparesis.

What Triggers Migraine Symptoms

Migraine symptoms can be triggered by many things, including food allergies, red wine, MSG and nitroglycerine. They can be triggered when a person decides to stop drinking coffee, as caffeine is a drug that constricts blood vessels. Stress can lead to symptoms, as can intense emotions and hormones that come with menstruation, ovulation or birth control pills. Sleep disorders, exhaustion, eye strain and even weather changes can cause the symptoms.

How to Cope with Migraine Symptoms

Migraines can be hard to cope with, but there are some things a sufferer can do until they’re over.

Taking an aspirin every day might control migraine symptoms in some people.

Since some foods trigger migraine attacks, it might be good for the sufferer to note what they ate just before the symptoms began and avoid them in the future. Chocolate and hard cheese might trigger an attack.

When they feel a migraine coming on, a patient might want to rest for a while, listen to soothing music and just try to relax.

The patient can also press a cloth dipped in cold water to that side of their head or to their face. This may help the blood vessels to relax, as mentioned above. Other professionals believe that resting the hands in a basin of warm water might also relieve the headache. The patient can also take vasoconstrictors to narrow the blood vessels, or take other sorts of pain relievers.

If the migraine attacks are very frequent and debilitating, the sufferer might take calcium channel or beta blockers. However, these drugs have side effects and might not be helpful for everyone who has migraine symptoms.

What’s more unbearable is that the migraine sufferer has to deal with the pain for as long as 3 days at the most and 4 hours at the least. One could just imagine why a migraine sufferer would definitely detest another episode of migraine headaches.

Migraine triggers are what these sufferers have to watch out for in order to avoid another bout of these migraine attacks. It is always a must for them to ascertain what these migrained triggers are, so that the persons who suffer from migraine could avoid it as possibly as they can.

Prior to the actual attack of migraine taking place, the migraine sufferer will experience certain symptoms as a sign that another episode is slowly building up. These include certain conditions such as excessive thirst, irrepressible drowsiness, unexplained irritability and depression.

You must consider the fact that migraine triggers differ from sufferer to sufferer. Thus, it is a must to monitor the migraine triggers that come up base on your own lifestyle, food preferences, eating habits and personal surroundings. This is not to discount the fact that there will also be some similarity that leads to the activation of migraine headaches among sufferers.

Women are known to have the most migraine trigger factors to contend with particularly their menstrual cycles. The onset of a migraine attack for a woman may occur either at the beginning or at the end of her monthly period.

On top of that, women share common migraine triggers they have to deal with like too much glare in sunlight or artificial lights. Women and other individuals suffering from migraine should avoid being exposed to too much brightness including the sunlight.

Another common trigger shared by migraine sufferers are food particularly those with high levels of MSG, processed meat, red wine and chocolate. It is very important, therefore, to know what your triggers are and find out the best way to avoid them to prevent migraine attacks.

However, you should also keep an open mind that this is not always possible. Should your next migraine headaches become unbearable for you, try to apply available migraine treatments including drug medications.

Such drug medications are known as abortive medications. You can try these medicines even at the onset stage when migraine triggers are just starting, thus saving you pain and suffering in experiencing migraine. Consult your doctor about this so you can have the proper medical prescription.

Migraine Headache during Pregnancy

Even though there are migrain research centers all over the world, until now there is no exact statement about its origin possible. This is surprising enough, since this affliction is said to be causing discomfort to more than ten million individuals. Due to the severity of the pain, some individuals are rendered helpless and weakened by what they are going through. There are even statistics on how much the the country’s economy has to pay for it.

A person finds difficulty in coping with whatever tasks he has on hand while suffering from migraine headaches. Often, his natural reaction would be to seek relief from medication then lie down until the pain becomes easier to bear.

Since migraines has afflicted multitudes, intensive migraine research efforts are being applied to find the cure and medications that can help a migraine sufferer overcome its debilitating effect. The medical community is perennially involved in migraine research to find the causes and treatments for illnesses and migraine disorder is one of them.

The Need for Migraine Research

The increase in statistical figures indicates that a more intensified migraine research is needed to come up with medical solutions concerning migraine headache problems. Presently, the effects of migraine are being gauged not only on a per individual performance basis but as to how it is affecting the country’s workforce as a whole.

It is also very important for the family members and friends of an afflicted person to understand the nature and circumstances of what a migraine sufferer is going through. Women, who are known to be statistically more prone to this illness, can create considerable effect on home and family life whenever their migraine headaches render them helpless and unable to perform house work.

It is estimated that the manpower loss the economy incurs can be equated into billions of dollars attributed to that part of the workforce who were unable to report for work due to the severity of the migraine headache they are experiencing. Hence, it is a recognized fact that migraine headaches can have a considerable impact on the economy as well, since many workers become afflicted with this disorder.

The Results of Migraine Research

There have been a lot of possibilities that migraine research has considered to determine the association of migraine disorder with any dysfunction in other parts of the body. One such example is the case of the punctured heart or medically known as foramen ovale, wherein studies show that there was a noted decrease in migraine occurrence when the said puncture was repaired.

In addition to this, another migraine research on the premise of low blood sugar having an effect in the occurrence of migraine attacks provided significant data. Research results revealed that an individual who has an overreaction to glucose is liable to suffer from severe headaches once his blood sugar level decreases. This information can be linked and related to the fact that certain foods when ingested can activate migraine attacks.

Migraine Syndrome

It is that particular stage in their lives where a natural high can be felt yet sometimes marred by certain unavoidable discomforts. Statistics have it that one out of every five women suffers from migraine headache during pregnancy and this can be a critical concern since medication during this stage is discouraged. Obviously, this may harmfully affect the development of the child in the mother’s womb.

Causes of Migraine Headache During Pregnancy

The medical explanation for migraine headache during pregnancy is attributed to the rapid increase in an expectant mother’s hormones. Said increase in hormonal production occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy, hence frequent episodes of migraine during these periods can be expected. Other factors that may trigger a migraine headache during pregnancy are caffeine, stress, cold food and allergy including lack of sleep and similar detriments that can be observed as triggers.

How to Treat Migraine Headache During Pregnancy

As mentioned earlier, taking just any form of medication can be harmful to the development of the child in your womb. Hence, the intake of painkillers should only be done under the advice and supervision of your attending physician in order to avoid any possible complications.

A recommended remedy to overcome migraine headache during pregnancy is yoga. Considered as highly effective, yoga is a combination of exercises and meditation that provides soothing and calming effects that will alleviate migraine headaches without any need for medication.

Accordingly, there are certain conditions to observe to ensure optimal results in yoga exercises. Position yourself facing the sun exactly at dawn when commencing with the exercise. Start a session initially for 15 minutes then gradually work it out to last for 30 minutes. Test yourself if you can prolong it further even for an hour, which will entirely depend on your own comfort level.

Another recommended remedy for migraine headache during pregnancy is taking a cold shower. Cold showers have the ability to dilate constricted blood vessels, hence taking cold showers frequently when needed can effectively ease the discomforts of migraine headaches. Splashing your face with cold water can also be an effective migraine headache pain relief in case anything prevents you from taking cold showers too often.

Finally, the most effective way to avoid migraine headache during pregnancy is to stay mentally relaxed and worry-free. Avoid any forms of stress or conflict by engaging in pastimes or any kind of entertainment to keep yourself physically and mentally well.

Migraine Research

How about migraine syndrome? Just what the term means may also provide useful information on how you can effectively manage your migraine headaches.

Migraine as you already know can be triggered by several factors such as anxiety, anger, depression, stress and everything related to them. However, the word migraine itself may refer to a triggered disorder not only in your head but also concerning your stomach, neck, back and sinus among many others.

The Migraine Syndrome and What You Should Do About It

Any pain you may feel whether felt in the head, neck, stomach, bowels or in any bodily area which resulted from a reaction to certain stimuli is called a migraine syndrome. Stimuli will ordinarily refer to the trigger factors often referred to in migraine headaches. Often times, these pain can be accompanied by other forms of discomfort like sensitivity to light, smell or sound.

Being diagnosed as suffering from migraine syndrome is really no cause for alarm. The doctor who diagnosed you can come up with suitable medication prescriptions as soon as a battery of tests has been completed to identify the cause of your migraine syndrome. It is important for you to note that different people have different stimuli that can affect them.

Take note of what you are presently experiencing particularly the aggravating factors that add to your pain as a migraine sufferer. Simple things such as a pungent smell, certain foods, a type of sound, too little sleep, stress at work, menopause, andropause and factors that are similarly pain aggravating. Relay the information to your doctor who has ample medical expertise to interpret and evaluate them in order to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.

Migraine Syndrome and What You Shouldn’t Do About It

Don’t be too quick in resorting to drug medications in case you find yourself in a dilemma with your migraine affliction. This can work adversely if you resort to self-administration. You should keep in mind that not all types of medications work for a single purpose and taking in a wrong medication can only result to building up a resistance against other drug formulation. Migraine syndromes were ascertained to be unresponsive to painkillers alone.

Self-medication is definitely not advisable. If you are suffering from a chronic pain, your course of action is to consult a doctor and adhere to his professional prescription. Since painkillers do not respond to migraine syndrome, ingesting one may only result to harmful side effects.

Migraine Help

Some of the theories that emerged to try to explain the migraine headaches cause involve the participations of different factors such as the vascular, genetic, neurological and chemical factors. All of these theories state one thing in common that migraine headaches are arbitrated via the trigeminal vascular system and its central projections.

The most common explanation for a migraine headaches cause is that it occurs when there are events or factors that trigger the blood vessels in the brain to over respond. Such over reaction will cause spasm in the arteries located at the base of the brain.

Following such spasm is the constriction of the arteries creating a decrease in blood flow to the brain area, and as a result, cerebral hypoxia or reduced oxygen supply at the brain may occur. Furthermore, blood-clotting materials in the blood that are called platelets clump together.

One more migraine headaches cause could be the release of serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical found in the blood that causes blood vessels to constrict and contract.

While arteries at the base of the brain constricts, other arteries undergo vasodilatation that triggers the release of prostaglandins.  These are fatty acids found naturally in every human being that affects many body activities. They stimulate contractions of involuntary muscles. These chemicals are also responsible in causing inflammation and swelling, thus they increase one’s sensitivity to pain.

Some of the factors that trigger the onset of migraine headaches include the following: hormonal changes, stress, foods, sensory stimuli, emotional inputs, alterations in the environment, and some medications.

In factors that include hormonal changes, it is the females rather than the males who commonly manifest this, because there is a significant relationship of estrogen-alterating events in activating migraine headaches. Hormonal changes during menstruation, menopause or when taking hormonal contraceptive pills worsen the event of migraine.

Another possible migraine headaches cause is stress. Overindulging to office works or school works can cause stress, and having a stressful situation prompts the release of some chemicals that causes arterial vasoconstriction. Moreover, sleeping, which is considered by many as an effective stress-reliever, can also cause the onset of migraine headaches if it will take longer hours than the normal sleeping time.

A faulty diet can also cause migraine headaches. These trigger foods include peanuts, chicken liver, ripe banana, avocados, dried meat, chocolates, anchovies, and foods that contain monosodium glutamate.

On sensory stimuli, photosensitivity or sensitivity to light is the most common. This happens during stages when one is experiencing the symptoms like visual disturbances and flashing of lights. This factor may trigger the attack or it can worsen the attack. Being engaged in too much emotion can also be seen as a migraine headaches cause.

That is being too much angry, happy and laughing out loud, or being depressed. These instances of emotional excitability or downfall can cause release of chemicals or hormones that are associated with migraine headaches.

Changes in the environment, especially the weather can be counted as a strong migraine headaches cause. In fact, a lot of people are experiencing migraines during very hot weather conditions.

Aside from contraceptive pills (Lopron, Provera), other drugs that can cause or trigger migraine headaches are the following: Nitrates (Nitroglycerin), Calcium Channel Blocker (Procardia), Antacids (Zantac), and caffeine-containing drugs (Esgic). Some precaution is needed while taking these drugs.

Knowing these triggering factors for a migraine headache will help an individual know when to seek consultation and treatment from the physician. So, it is very important to be familiarized with them very well.

Migraine Headache Symptoms