Common Causes of Migraines and Headaches - By: Kevin Thoroughgood

Every so often, a migraine may well continue in excess of 72 hours and certainly won't disappear on its own. This sort of migraine is referred to as status migrainosus. It’s important that you visit your doctor should your migraine last more than 72 hours.

Should you get recurring migraines beyond 15 days in a calendar month over a average period of 3 months in the year, this is generally described as a chronic migraine. If you are describing a health problem, the definition of chronic means the actual length of time an individual has had the condition, this shouldn't be confused with how serious the problem may be. Around one out of 100 people today have chronic migraines. Assuming that you have a chronic migraine, there may be a temptation to take an ever-increasing quantity of relief medication in order to control the attacks. As time goes by, it can easily contribute to further headaches, this is often called medication-overuse headaches (MOH) or rebound headaches. .

If your migraines are becoming more and more frequent, there's unfortunately a possibility that you may be at a higher risk of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and stroke.

Migraine Causes

It’s not wholly understood what the causes of migraines are, although it’s believed that they are linked to the chemical known as serotonin. A Low level of serotonin can cause changes to the blood vessels in the brain. It’s unknown precisely what causes the serotonin levels to change.

It may beneficial to maintain a diary to identify the triggers that induce your migraines or cause them to become even worse.

Known migraine triggers can include things like:

Stress
Change in sleep patterns
Poor posture or tension in your neck and shoulders
Particular food or drink (in general chocolate, cheese, alcohol, caffeine)
Loud noises
Bright or flickering lights
Various odours
Excessive exercise if you’re not accustomed to it
Fasting or skipping meals
Low fluid intake

Many women are susceptible to migraine attacks especially around the time of their periods, over the course of a pregnancy and menopause, or as a consequence of taking oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It’s fairly likely that these hormonal changes can alter the frequency and intensity of a migraine attack.

Other less frequent triggers may include high blood pressure levels, smoking, toothache, eye strain or taking particular sleeping tablets.

Migraine Diagnosis

If your migraines persist it may well be advisable to consult your doctor.

There isn’t any particular test that is able to diagnose migraines. Try to keep a diary of when you get migraines and probable triggers. By doing this your doctor will perhaps be able to see if there’s a pattern or a link to any of the symptoms

About the Author

To find out more about migraine prevention and relief please visit http://www.migrainedietreview.com

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