How Migraines can Affect your Health- Women’s Health

Migraine is practically considered as a medical condition. People who suffer from migraines get headaches that can be severe. A migraine is usually an intense pain felt on one, or sometimes, both sides of the head. A lot of people with migraine headache feel the pain in the temples or behind one eye or ear. Apart from pain, migraine also can cause vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound in some people. People who have migraines may also see spots or flashing lights or have a temporary loss of vision. Migraine headaches can occur at any time of the day, though it often starts in the morning. The pain can last a few hours or up to one or two days. Most of the time, migraines are not a threat to your overall health. But migraine attacks can interfere with your day-to-day life. It is not yet clearly known what causes migraines, but here are some things that are more common in people who have them:

Often, migraine affects people between the ages of 15 and 55

 Most people have a family history of migraine.

They are more common in women than men

 Migraine often becomes less severe and less frequent with age

What could be the causes of migraines?

According to e-publications on women’shealth.gov, the exact cause of migraine is not fully understood yet. Researchers think that migraine is due to abnormal changes in levels of substances that are naturally produced in the brain. When the levels of these substances increase, they can cause inflammation. This inflammation then causes blood vessels in the brain to dilate and press on nearby nerves, causing pain. Experts do know that people with migraines react to a variety of factors and events called triggers. These triggers can vary from person to person and don’t always lead to migraine. A combination of triggers — not a single thing or event — is more likely to set off an attack. A person’s response to triggers also can vary from migraine to migraine. Many women with migraine tend to have attacks triggered by:

 Lack of or too much sleep

 Skipped meals

 Bright lights, loud noises, or strong odours

Hormone changes during the menstrual cycle
Stress and anxiety, or relaxation after stress
Weather changes
Alcohol
Caffeine
Foods that contain nitrates, such as hot dogs and lunch meats
Foods that contain tyramine, such as soy products, hard sausages, and smoked fish

When should one seek help for headaches?

Sometimes, headache can signal a more serious problem. You should talk to your physician about your headaches if:
You have several headaches per month and each lasts for several hours or days

Your headaches disrupt your home, work, or normal life

You have nausea, vomiting, vision, or other sensory problems (such as numbness or tingling)

You have pain around the eye or ear

You have a severe headache with a stiff neck

You have a headache with confusion or loss of alertness

You have a headache with convulsions
You used to be headache-free, but now have constant headaches

By Rifkatu Yusuf