What Is Migraine?
Breaking down migraine
Migraine impacts 1 in 7 people—most prevalent in people between the ages of 18 and 44. Women are three times more likely to have migraine than men.
What Is Migraine?
Migraine impacts 1 in 7 people—most prevalent in people between the ages of 18 and 44. Women are three times more likely to have migraine than men.
Migraine is a neurological condition that can cause intense pain on one or both sides of the head for 4 to 72 hours. It is a recurring type of headache. But unlike other headaches, the pain often includes:
There are two common types of migraine: with aura and without aura. Aura is a phase of a migraine attack when people may see flashes of light, have blind spots, or feel tingling in their hands or face.
The number of migraine attacks people experience per month depends on the individual. Typically, people with migraine experience an average of two attacks a month.
While each person experiences migraine differently, the impact almost always disrupts their everyday life. The pain, nausea, and sensitivity make it difficult to function normally — which can affect work, school, and your family and social life.
People with migraine can experience many different symptoms, which often occur within four stages of a migraine attack.
What causes migraine isn’t really clear, but genetics and environment do play a role. You may be more likely to have migraines if it's part of your family history.
In addition, many researchers believe that a possible cause of migraine pain is related to a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). When the brain releases CGRPs, they attach to receptors and cause nerve inflammation — often starting a migraine attack.
What triggers a migraine attack is unique to each person and can be brought on by a single trigger or a combination of triggers. This may even lead to avoiding situations out of fear that a trigger could cause an attack.
There are four major migraine triggers to be aware of: travel, weather changes, stress and menstruation. In addition, too much or too little sleep, physical exhaustion, certain foods and alcohol, and bright and flashing lights can trigger an attack.