Whats happening in your head when you have migraine?

Answer 1

What is a migraine headache?

A migraine headache is a severe pain felt on one, and sometimes, both sides of the head. The pain is mostly in the front around the temples or behind one eye or ear. Besides pain, you may have nausea and vomiting, and be very sensitive to light and sound. Migraine can occur 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.

We don’t know what causes migraine headaches, but some things are more common in people who have them.
Most often, migraine affects people between the ages of 15 and 55.
Many people have a family history of migraine.
They are more common in women.
Migraine often becomes less severe and frequent with age.

What causes migraine?

One theory about the cause of migraine is the blood flow theory, which focuses on blood vessel activity in the brain. Blood vessels either narrow or expand. Narrowing can constrict blood flow, causing problems with sight or dizziness. When the blood vessels expand, they press on nerves nearby, which causes pain.

Another theory focuses on chemical changes in the brain. When chemicals in the brain that send messages from one cell to another, including the messages to blood vessels to get narrow or expand, are interrupted, migraines can occur.

More recently, genes have been linked to migraine. People who get migraines may inherit abnormal genes that control the functions of certain brain cells. And something the person’s body is sensitive to in some way triggers the actual headaches.

Headache triggers can vary from person to person. Most migraines are not caused by a single factor or event. Your response to triggers can also vary from headache to headache.Many women with migraine tend to have attacks brought on by:
lack of food or sleep
bright light or loud noise
hormone changes during the menstrual cycle
stress and anxiety
weather changes
chocolate, alcohol, or nicotine
some foods and food additives, such as MSG or nitrates

To help pinpoint your headache triggers, it may be helpful to keep a headache “diary.” Each time you have a migraine, write down the time of day, point in your menstrual cycle, where you are at the time, and what you were doing when the migraine started. Talk with your doctor about what sets off your headaches to help find the right treatment for you.
Are there different kinds of migraine?

Yes, there are many forms of migraine headache. But, the two forms seen most often are classic and common migraine.

Classic migraine. With a classic migraine, a person has these visual symptoms (also called an “aura”) 10 to 30 minutes before an attack:
sees flashing lights or zigzag lines
has blind spots or loses vision for a short time

The aura can include seeing or hearing strange things. It can even disturb the senses of smell, taste, or touch. Women have this form of migraine less often than men.

Common migraine. With a common migraine, a person does not have an aura, but does have the other migraine symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.
How does a migraine headache differ from a tension headache?

While migraine headaches affect millions of people, they are still less common than tension headaches. Tension headaches cause a more steady pain over the entire head rather than throbbing pain in one spot. Most of the time, migraine attacks happen once in awhile, but tension headaches can occur as often as every day. While fatigue and stress can bring on both tension and migraine headaches, migraines can be triggered by certain foods, changes in the body’s hormone levels, and even changes in the weather.

There are also differences in how these two types of headaches respond to treatment with medicines. While some over-the-counter drugs used to treat tension headaches sometimes help migraine headaches, the drugs used to treat migraine attacks do not work for tension headaches.
When should I seek help for my headaches?

Nearly half of the people in the United States who have migraine do not get diagnosed and treated. The National Headache Foundation suggests you talk to your doctor 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 school life
you have nausea, vomiting, vision, or other sensory problems
What tests are used to find out if I have migraine?

If you think you get migraine headaches, talk with your doctor.

Before your appointment, write down:
how often you have headaches
where the pain is
how long the headaches last
when the headaches happen, such as during your menstrual cycle
other symptoms, such as nausea or blind spots
any family history of migraine

Your doctor may also do an exam and ask more questions about your health history. This could include past head injury, sinus or dental problems, or medicine use. By just talking with your doctor, you may be able to give enough information to diagnose migraine.

You may get a blood test and other tests if your doctor thinks that something else could be causing your symptoms. Work with your doctor to decide on the best tests for you.

Answer 2

i get migraines ALL the time...i really have no idea what causes them, but the best thing to do is to talk to a doctor about it, beacause it might be something more serious than just a headache. cuz i went to the doctor, just to make sure, and they had to do one of those CT scans (i think thats what they're called) just to make sure it wasnt anything too serious. but i know when i get them, the only thing i can do is sleep, and hopefully it has past when i wake up.

Answer 3

something in your head is affeced and the nerves sends the message to the brain. Its just that there is pain in your head

Answer 4

blood vessels constrict and slow blood flow.