What are some causes of migraine headaches?

Answer 1

Migraines are a neurological disorder which usually cause repeated episodes of severe pain with many other symptoms. A Migraine has many stages however, and pain is only one of the stages. A Migraine attack can involve one or more of the stages, but does not necessarily even involve pain (acephalgic Migraine).

A brain aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel in the brain. This is often due to an congenital abnormality or weakness in a blood vessel (an abnormality present since birth). The head pain caused by an aneurysm is usually a one time event. The vessel bleeds - many times causing the "worst headache of your life"- and either you are able to catch it in time to repair it and stop the hemorrhaging, or you die.

People who end up having an aneurysm may or may not have a history of migraine. If a person does suffer from both, it is coincidence. There are no studies that state the two are related.

Very rarely, people who have migraines end up having a stroke. This is thought to be caused by extended ischemia (loss of blood flow) to an area of the brain due to migraines causing a change in the blood flow due to constriction and dilation of blood vessels. Strokes are not the same as aneurysms.

Migraines have many, many different triggers. Diet, sleep patterns, dehydration, weather changes, hormone changes, and stress are just a few of these triggers. In order to find out what is triggering your migraines, it is very helpful to begin keeping a migraine diary - so that you can look back and try to remember what happened in the 24 hours leading up to the attack. You may be able to identify a pattern and then prevent the trigger.

If you are having more than two migraines a month you should seek the care of a neurologist to try preventative migraine medications. It is trial and error to find the medication combination that works for you, however, it can reduce the frequency and duration of your migraines significantly.

Another AnswerAs a sufferer of frequent migraines, the causes are many. (Thanks goodness for new treatment options) Usually the cause can be as simple as a food allergy. Many trigger foods include proceesed meats,aged cheese, red wine (is really bad), or foods that contain a high content of tyramine. Hormonal fluctuations can bring on a pounder. (the day before your period). It is also a known fact that barometric pressure changes cause wicked headaches. Here in Calgary Alberta when a "Chinook" blows in (the temperature can go from -25 to +3 ) in a matter of hours, people that never get headaches are now reaching for strong painkillers. The same phenomena happens in California (Santa Anna winds). Tension and stress can bring on a migraine. Grinding of teeth as you sleep can cause headache pain. It is IMPORTANT that if you suffer from headaches to wake up at the same time everyday. (This helps reduce the # of headaches you get). Drinking a cup of coffee (to combat the dilation of blood vessels in the brain) also can help greatly. I know it feels like our brains are "bleeding" when you're in the middle of a migraine but I can assure you that migraine sufferers RARELY and I mean RARELY die from an aneurysm. It is a medical fact that people that do die from annurism"s have NO former history of migraines. Aneurysms are RARE and migraines are COMMON. Get your self to a quiet place when you feel a headache coming on. Go see a DR. to get a prescription for your headaches. There is NO need to suffer. There is a lot you can do to help yourself. Good luck and don"t worry. Thanks Redflower7

--just to add to this, caffeine is actually a vasoconstrictor- it is a stimulant- and can compound problems by creating dependency and inducing migraines when caffeine is not consumed... it helps to soothe the pain of migraines presumably by decreasing pressure in the brain because there is a theory that migraine pain is caused by increased blood vessel size in the brain...waking up at the same time every day is indeed a great suggestion though- and drinking more water, getting adequate amounts of rest, eating a balanced diet, and regular exercise--keeping blood pressure in check can curb off headaches that could lead to migraines as well--and destressing on a regular basis...if you're having recurrent episodes of migraines you should keep a record of how often, how intense, and how long they last- and see a physician...

Answer 2

# Diet/Allergy: Many foods can trigger migraines. We hear about this all the time. Wines, aged cheeses, and chocolate being the most popular culprits. What is not often talked about is the role poor nutrition can play in causing migraines. Magnesium deficiency and a lack of the B vitamins are the most prominent. Maintaining a consistent eating pattern is also important, because dips in blood sugar or dips in your serotonin levels caused by lack of food can trigger a migraine.

# Environmental allergies: such as to mold.

# Smoking. Besides acting as an allergen and tripping you up that way, migraines may be caused in part by excess dopamine. Nicotine increases dopamine.

# Odors: Some migraineurs exhibit a sensitivity to perfumes or certain odors.

# Sunlight. Fluorescent light. Glare from computer screens. Sometimes it is the light itself, sometimes it is flickering - such as the almost imperceptible flicker of fluorescent lights, or a ceiling fan than is spinning over a light source.

# Stress, both directly and indirectly. Directly, because the physical changes brought on by stress (or by relaxations after long periods of stress) can cause migraines. Indirectly, because stress as a whole lowers your threshold for any other migraine trigger you might have. For example, perhaps you can normally stand 5 hours under fluorescent lights. Being stressed might lower that threshold down to 3 hours.

# Weather (barometric changes, cold, humidity, etc.. Different weather patterns affect people differently.)

# Extreme temperature shifts: such as staying in air conditioning all day and then walking outside into humid, summer weather. Or taking an incredibly hot shower and then running to catch the bus on a freezing day. You want to give your body time to adjust.

# Dehydration

# Patent Foramen Ovale - PFO is a congenital birth defect in which there is a small hole in the heart. Having surgery to correct this anomaly can help cut down on the frequency of your migraines.

# Lack of sleep OR too much sleep. (Maintaining a normal sleep schedule is key. This means not sleeping in until all hours on the weekends. You get up at the same time every day, you go to bed at the same time.)

# Hormonal changes (puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause)

# Migraines from exertion. These can be brought on from exercise, or sometimes brought on by sex.

# Injury: Some people have migraines develop only after injuries, like a concussion, or neck trauma.

# Pseudotumor cerebri - where too much cerebrospinal fluid in the body is pressing on the brain. Sufferers are asked to maintain a healthy weight, and are often put on diuretics to help them urinate excess fluid from the body.

# Chiari Malformation - a condition where the lower back part of the skull is too small, and presses in on the brain. Surgery is the preferred treatment.
what causes migrains

Answer 3

Migraines are sometimes caused by cold food products. Have you ever had a headache eating slush? In some people this can cause a migraine.

Migraine headaches are induced differently for each person who suffers them. For some, the onset of a migraine headache can be a gradual buildup of pain. For others, it can be an instant onslaught. Some contributing factors include bright lights, loud noises, caffeine, high blood pressure, muscle tension, and various types of food or lack of food. The cause of migraines differs from person to person. What helps prevent a migraine for one will only induce a migraine in others. If one is suffering from a migraine, the best treatment is to take either an over the counter pain medication such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen and to lie down in a dark, quiet room and rest. For some, over the counter medications only take the edge off. Your doctor can prescribe stronger medication for the treatment and prevention of migraines if they become chronic and debilitating.

Answer 4

Well, there are a few things that can cause migraines. One is FOOD. Chocolate can cause migraines also caffine. But mostly, doctors dont know the causes because migraines are so unpredictable and there can be millions of causes. I suffer with migraines myself. Another cause can be flashing lights, noises and other things. Also it can run in the family so check out your family history to see if one of your parents had it too.

Answer 5

There are actually many causes of migraine headaches, with many people having very specific things that trigger their severe headache response.

Perhaps the best thing a person who has migraine headaches can do to treat their problem is to spend a lot of time and effort to learn the exact trigger of your migraines. Once the migraine sufferer understands all major and minor ways that these headaches can be triggered, then the next step is to spend a lot of time and effort learning how to avoid or minimize those triggers during the course of the day.

It is not good enough to know what causes our migraines, you must be able to control those triggers to the best of your ability in order to lead a life that is as migraine-free as possible. A good place to start evaluation of your response to various triggers is to consider these common causes, even though for you the list might be much more exotic and specific:

• Emotional stress and tension
• Sensitivity to certain foods, food preservatives and food coloring agents: foods containing tyramine (red wine, figs, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, and some beans); food additives like nitrates in pepperoni, bacon, Hot Dogs, luncheon meat etc. and MSG (monosodium glutamate) found in most prepared foods
• Environmental chemicals
• Caffeine, found in coffee, tea and chocolate
• Rapid weather changes
• Fatigue, related to lack of sleep or excessive physical activity
• Hunger
• There can be many more causes that each migraine sufferer must learn by close observation, good record keeping and a lot of detective work

Answer 6

According to webMD, migraines can be caused by hormones(females are more likely to have migraines), sleep deficiency (improving your sleep habits can reduces migraines), being overweight, and medications(some medications can cause severe headaches).

Answer 7

Migraines headaches are enlargement in blood vessels which carries on to through out your body and leads to a migraine. To find reliable information as to their cause you could research or ask your doctor for more information. But Other Then That There's Medication For Migraines

Answer 8

I think migraines can be caused by to much negative stress. Certain types of food can cause migraines as well. I strongly recommend to talk to you doctor or perhaps go to webmd.com to get a more professional answer.

Answer 9

causes of migraine can be sensitivity to sound, light, smell of the food, changes in sleep pattern, fasting, skipping meals etc..

Answer 10

There can be many causes for migraine headaches. One common reason people get migraines is because of certain foods. Other reasons people get them are smoking and the weather.