A migraine is a complaint that is quite often suffered by other family members, all of which have probably been experiencing them from a young age. Often these attacks can last for days where the victim must seek bed rest; however, if it is treated, they can end in a matter of hours. These attacks also leave the suffer feeling exhausted and might take them a while to recover fully.
The frequency of attacks between sufferers is not consistent with some only having one episode a year. Certain symptoms are common for many sufferers including a problem with bright lights, sometimes even dull light, in addition to flu like chills and lightheadedness. What isn’t understood is why migraines can start at an age as early as ten but normally stop before someone reaches the age of forty; however, by the time someone reaches fifty, attacks almost never occur.
It is quite common for members of the same family group to suffer with migraine attacks; even though there may be a link, so far it has eluded medical science.
Science cannot as yet explain why this condition is more likely to affect women than men but women have a three times greater chance of having the condition than men; one in every 4 women will be a victim of it, whilst only 1 in 12 men will suffer with it at some point in their life.
Some people with the complaint are able to sense when an attack is imminent; this is called migraine with aura. There are many indications this may happen which will vary between sufferers which can be one or more of the following:
Nausea
Vision is affected
Reduction in the sensations of taste
Lack of sensation in sufferers extremities
Whilst there are many more symptoms, the list above contains those which are most prevalent. However, the condition that’s most common is a migraine without aura where the pain increases in one area of the head; this condition can escalate and is made worse by any movement, loud noises and bright lights which can cause the person to vomit.
The reasons we get migraines is far from clear and yet to be discovered but one assumption is that the blood vessels in areas of the brain become narrower which may be the explanation for the aura.
It might be that it is the expansion of the blood vessels afterwards that causes the headache; however, all suffers say the attack knocks them out and they are unable to carry out even the most simple of daily tasks. As there are so many situations that could trigger an attack, only a few are listed here:
Low pressure weather
Certain foods
Particular foodstuffs
Anxiety or panic attacks
Certain groups of drink
Strong intense sunlight
Infrequent or irregular eating habits
Tension
It is for a person to keep a check to see if they have a pattern by which they can avoid situations that could lead to an attack.
Wendy manages an anxiety symptoms website where she talks openly about panic and anxiety attack symptoms, and offers some useful guidance on how best to deal with it.