Possible migraine causes and what triggers this pain!

Do you sometimes experience extreme headache with additional signs and symptoms such as vomiting and nausea? Does light or sound make it even more difficult to cope with the pain? Chances are that your headache is not just a usual tension type headache, but migraine. Many people do not understand what migraine is and what migraine causes are. If you know the various causes, it will be helpful to keep them off.

About the migraine causes:

When you are talking about the causes of migraine, it must be mentioned that the exact reasons of this type of headache are not clearly known. However, a relationship of this pain with the brain chemicals and nerves has been identified.

When the brain stem interacts with the trigeminal nerve, which is a major pathway of pain in the brain, it leads to the occurrence of this pain. To be more elaborate, this interaction leads to the release of certain brain chemicals that are known as neuropeptides. These chemicals cause the pain in your brain. With the increase of these neuropeptides, the level of serotonin drops significantly. Serotonin, on the other hand, regulates the pain in your brain. However, as serotonin levels drop, the severe pain is felt, usually on one side of your head. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neurotransmitter that is one of the major causes of migraine.

Triggers of migraine:

Though the exact migraine causes are not clearly known, there are certain external factors that trigger this pain. These external factors or triggers can vary from person to person; but there are certain factors that seem to be common in most cases. These are –

• Foods, drinks and food additives:

Processed and packaged foods and meats, aged cheese, salty foods and food additives like MSG, sweetener aspartame and other tastemakers can trigger migraine headache.

Even alcohol and caffeinated drinks are found to trigger migraine headaches.

• Hormonal changes:

One of the strongest triggers of migraine is hormonal change. When women undergo menopause or are pregnant, they experience more migraine attacks than usual. In fact, before and during menstrual cycles, women suffer from more migraine attacks. That is why; it is often found in statistical data that women suffer from migraines more than men.

• Environmental condition:

Barometric pressure, change in weather, etc. can trigger migraine.

• Sensory stimuli:

Migraine causes are often associated with sensory stimuli, such as strong smells like paint thinner, perfume and passive smoke, etc. or even bright light and loud sound.

• Stress and sleep pattern:

If you are too stressed or tired and if you haven’t slept enough, it might trigger this pain. In fact, too much of sleep or change in your sleeping patterns can lead to migraine attacks.

• Medicines:

Certain medicines, especially vasodilators and oral contraceptives can lead to migraine attack.

Now that you have known about the mechanism of migraine, as well as migraine causes, you need to make sure that these are eliminated from your life as much as possible. It is always a good idea that you visit a doctor to identify your headache type and its causes.

Migraine Causes And Symptoms That Will Help You To Identify Your Pain!

Headaches are quite common in every single person, regardless of age, given the current lifestyle. Due to excessive stress all around, regarding work and other commitments, it is indeed quite difficult to cope with this pressure and headache is but an obvious consequence.

However, some types of headaches are not a result of an external factor but area serious disorder. One such type is migraine. Many people fail to recognise that their headache is a migraine headache.

Hence, you must understand the symptoms and migraine causes.

What is a migraine?

Amongst different kinds of headaches, migraine is one of the most debilitating one. It is a pulsating and throbbing sensation that is extremely distressing. At times it is so painful that even normal daily activities are disrupted. 

Though it was long thought that headaches can occur only in adults, it is now proven that even children can have migraines. In fact, reports have proven that many of the migraine sufferers have had their first migraine attack before they are 12 years old.

Signs and symptoms:

Along with migraine causes, the symptoms are also very important and must be known to you so that you can distinguish migraine from other headaches. The common signs are –

• Severe pain in one side of the head
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stiffness in neck
• Mood swings
• Constipation
• Craving for food
• Frequent yawning
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Increased thirst

Causes of migraine:

Now that you have known about the signs and symptoms of this headache, you need to know about migraine causes, so that you can eliminate your chances of suffering. But, the fact is that there is no solid evidence as to what exactly causes migraine pain. Researchers have identified that the pain is associated with an abnormality in the levels of certain brain chemicals.

To be specific, it is associated especially with the brain chemicals such as serotonin. Serotonin and certain other brain chemicals manage and regulate the pain that is caused by the nervous system. When the serotonin levels drop significantly it causes migraine.

During migraine attacks, certain substances called neuropeptides are released into the brain by trigeminal nerves. These substances travel throughout the meninges or outer covering of brain, generating this pain.

Triggers of migraine:

Migraines are often associated with some external factors known as triggers. These can accentuate the attack. These triggers may vary from person to person. But the most common triggers that can be deemed as migraine causesare –

• Hormonal changes in women:

Hormonal changes have a strong impact on the migraine pain. Since women undergo hormonal changes during menstrual cycle, pregnancy as well as post-menopause, women are more likely to suffer from migraine than men.

• Certain foods:

Eating foods that have preservatives and are salty and processed can often trigger this headache. Monosodium Glutamate or MSG, sausages, aged cheese, etc. are foods that are often linked with this pain.

• Strong smell:

From perfume and deodorant to incense sticks, any strong odour, can trigger migraine.

• Changes in the pattern of sleep:

Whether you sleep too much or too less, or if you sleep at a different cycle than usual, your migraine pain might be triggered.

• Exposure to strong light and loud sound:

If you are in an atmosphere, where there is too much of light and sound, it can trigger the pain. Even the changes in atmospheric pressure can trigger this pain.

• Certain medicines:

There are certain medicines like oral contraceptives and others that are associated with inciting migraine pain.

If you think that you have migraine, it is the best idea to see a doctor and confirming the condition, so that the treatment is proper. 

This is the easiest way to identify your triggers or the migraine causes that might have been the causative factors for your pain.

Is it just a simple headache or a migraine? Know the migraine causes to stay alert!

Are you suffering from severe headaches? Using balms or drinking a cup of tea isn’t coming of any help? Is the pain so severe that you fail to do your daily activities? Well, there are chances that you are having a migraine attack!

Relax, there is nothing to panic. Migraine headaches have become increasingly common and it is not just you, who is suffering from this extreme pain. There are many like you; even children! Your pain can be managed. But before that is done, you need to see a doctor. It is only a doctor, who will be able to diagnose your condition and identify if your headache type is migraine or not. In case it is, you need to identify the migrainecauses, so that you can eliminate them completely and get relief.

The mechanism of migraine pain:

Migraine headache has no particular cause behind it. Science cannot tell what exactly causes this extreme, severe, throbbing and pulsating sensation in the brain. But, genes and environmental factors are largely responsible for this and there is no denying this fact.

However, one thing that can clearly be said is that migraine is associated with the brain-stream and how it interacts with the trigeminal nerves. The trigeminal nerves are a major pathway for the brain to manage the pain in the brain. There are chemicals in the brain that keep the pain sensation low. One such chemical is serotonin.

Research studies have shown certain specific migraine causes, when serotonin levels drop significantly. The pain causing chemicals such as neuropeptides are released in the brain and as they travel through the meninges, the pain is felt.

Some of the major causes:

Some of the major and possible migraine causes can be –

• Irregularity of the blood vessels in the brain
• Disorder of the central nervous system
• Abnormality and imbalance of brain chemicals
• Genetic predisposition

Major triggers of migraine:

Now that the possible migraine causes are identified, it is also important for you to know about the migraine triggers. There are certain factors that trigger the pain in the head. These can vary from person to person, but here are a few factors that are universal and common for most people. These include –

1. Foods and drinks:

Aged cheese, salty or processed foods, preservatives etc. foods and even MSG can trigger the pain in the head. Not just the foods, but also alcohol can trigger this pain.

2. Hormonal changes in women:

This is a reason, why more women suffer from migraine than women. Women, during their pregnancy, menopause and even before or during their menstruation get these attacks more frequently.

3. Sensory stimuli:

One of the very common signs of migraine is that the pain increases with light, sound and smell sensation. When you encounter strong light or smell or hear loud noises and sounds, it is likely that the pain will increase.

There are many other factors like sleep pattern changes, changes in atmospheric pressure etc. that vary from person to person. What migraine causes and triggers have been instrumental for you can be noted down in a migraine diary. You can download the diary from here http://www.mewithoutmigraine.com/migraine-diary/. See a doctor and he will guide you properly.

Decipher the migraine causes to take early precaution!

Amongst all the headaches that are scientifically testified, it is migraine that is most underrated. There are a number of hereditary and environmental factors that can be touted as approximate reasons for migraine causes, however, no specific reason is said to have been found in that regard.

A single attack or pre-attack situation can actually cause quite a debilitating pain for a sufferer of migraine, since it causes a combination of enlarged blood vessels with over sensitization of nerve fibres. Thus, a person who is already a sufferer of this chronic disease should take prior measures in every respect.

Decoding the throbbing pain:

Unlike other headaches, which can be a result of variety of causes, a migraine pain is specifically thought to originate from the trigeminal nerve system. This being one of the major pathways in one’s nervous system can result in traveling of chemicals of the brains on the outer surface, rather than the inner side.

Yet, there is no fixed point from where this issue of migraine causes can be decoded. The only respite rests in checking out issues that actually causes this major problem and work religiously to reduce those issues.

Probable causes of migraine:

Apart from certain tried and tested tools, migraine causes depend on certain environmental concerns and gender to a certain extent. Yet, streamlining these issues, certain factual aspects can also be taken into consideration.

·         Hormonal issues:

This is specifically related to women. Generally during the menstrual cycle, or in the post cycle period, women experience this throbbing pain to a great extent. Also, women who specifically take in birth control and hormonal pills are more susceptible to this headache. At times, pregnant women experience this pain during third trimester. So, this can surely be stated as one of the most important migraine causes.

·         Irregular sleep patterns:

This is another important issue that needs to be taken care of. Most of the people do not have a proper and regular sleep pattern that affects their overall physical condition. Thus, this irregularity becomes a natural cause of issues associated with migraine.

·         Specific food items:

For a sufferer of migraine headache, any type of food item that contains even a minimal amount of tyramine can result in a major issue. Specific food items such as aged cheese, smoked fish, alcohol and red meat intake can become catalysts in migraine causes.

·         Lack of a balanced nutrition:

This is surely one of the most important issues that can cause a severe migraine attack. Most people in present times are not very concerned of their diet, and also have less intake of water throughout the day. Poor eating habits and poor intake of water can increase the severity of migraine attack.

·         Improper medication:

Generally, a person suffering from migraine may be recommended triptan for respite. If this is overdone than it may add on to the migraine causes.

With no fixed remedy to this problem, it is best that a person takes special care of one’s health to subside this pain to a certain extent.

Know the most common causes of migraine

If you are like millions of other people frequently get affected by migraine, then you must know these most common migraine causes. Once you come to know about the causes, you can lead a good and suitable lifestyle. 

Over the years, there are various theories that have been established as to why people get migraine, what are its causes, symptoms, etc. There are many reasons responsible for headache. However, the triggers will not be the same for everyone. Therefore, it is important to mention the most common causes of migraine that have been observed in most of the people. 

Well, it is a common fact that migraine occurs due to disruption in the flow of blood to the brain and cranium, but, the question is why this unnatural disruption takes place. To better identify the reason it is advised to migraine patients to consult a migraine specialist. You cannot find out the exact cause of migraine on your own. Only doctors and health care providers better know what can induce a migraine. Migraine patients should keep a journal to note down migraine causes or triggers such as bright lights, sound, food, etc. this journal will also help you avoiding future migraine attack. 

Find out the most common migraine causes 

Stress

A sudden rise in psychological and physical stress may trigger migraine. It has been observed that a majority of patients report that stress is the main cause of their attack. Some other researchers and migraine specialists have also reported that 50 to 80% of migraine patients reported that stress causes a severe migraine attack. This is the reason that some patients experience migraine after passing a stressful event while some others experience this attack in the mid of a stressful event. 

Jet lag or lack of sleep

Lack of sleep or sleep disturbance is also one of most common migraine causes. Insufficient sleep or jet lag often triggers an acute migraine headache. However, excessive sleep is also regarded as a trigger of migraine. This lack of sleep has been termed as Insomnia that leads to a chronic migraine headache. 

Food Flavours or extracts

The artificial food sweetener or flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate or MSG is another migraine trigger. Researchers have done experiments but ended up with conflicted results. Therefore, the effect of food flavour among migraine patients is still unsolved. MSG is basically used as a flavour enhancer and therefore, it is used in various foods to increase its savoury flavour. However, a recent study conducted on MSG has confirmed that it may trigger serious migraine attack to patients and therefore, migraine patients should avoid taking this additive or flavour. 

Dehydration or hunger

Migraine patients should avoid skipping meals. Migraine specialists say that skipping meals are one of the most common causes of migraine. The link between migraine and hunger is still unsolved, but doctors believe that it is probably related to fall in the glucose level. 

Along with skipping food, dehydration has also been regarded as a possible migraine trigger. When you don’t drink enough water, it will dehydrate your body which ultimately leads to the onset of a headache.

These are the most common migraine causes that most migraine patients have experienced.