Typically, you don’t realize just how debilitating a migraine headache can be until you have one. Migraines can make it impossible to go about even the simplest of daily activities. Most people who have migraines just want a dark, quiet, cool room in which to die from the pain they are experiencing peacefully. A migraine is a very common complaint that affects millions of people. Its symptoms can be very distressing and debilitating.
Knowing the cause of a migraine is typically the first step to preventing them from happening – and if you’ve ever suffered the effects of a migraine, you are usually willing to do whatever you must do to prevent one from occurring again in the future. However, many and varied studies over the years have shed some light on what causes a migraine.
What is it that Causes Migraine Headaches?
- Stress
Stress has been found to be a cause of your headache. Working long hours, particularly on a computer, heavy physical work or the pressures of the job can be a trigger to a migraine. Migraine sufferers often find that they have their migraine at the weekend. Relaxation is the only way of preventing migraines in this case. That is why we hear so many complaints about migraine problems after some overworking days.
- Foods
Some people seem to get migraines when they eat some certain foods. The most frequent offender would be none other than alcohol – especially red wine and beer. Other foods that are causes of migraine headaches include excessive caffeine, cheese, chocolates, MSG, aspartame, processed foods, and salty foods.
- Lack of Sleep
Changing patterns of sleep is one of the causes of migraine headaches. Sudden changes in your pattern of sleep have been seen to cause severe migraine headaches in patients. Many sufferers find that a migraine attack follows after an extra long period of sleep, such as a lie in at the weekend. For others, it can be triggered by not enough sleep.
- Hunger or Dehydration
Chronic dehydration may cause severe migraine pain symptoms. Failure of regular water consumption is the most underestimate facts and usually as a key factor in all migraine headaches cause. Skipping meals is also part of the common causes of migraines, and also fasting is not advisable if you are not used to it.
- Medication Overused
Medications can be a cause of migraines. Medications such as headache remedies used over an extended period of time can trigger a migraine attack. Hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives and drugs that are used to dilate blood vessels are amongst some of the medications that can cause a headache.
Apart from the above, the causes of migraine can be attributed to many more factors such as abrupt weather changes, high altitude, motion sickness or low blood sugar. The list may seem endless, which is why it is important for someone suffering from migraine on a regular basis to keep a record of the attacks. Even a food diary can help in pinpointing the triggers that cause a migraine. Every migraine sufferer experiences different symptoms and has different triggers to their migraine, which is why it can often be difficult to treat.
SOURCE: https://www.healthline.com/health/migraine#migrainesymptoms2
